Today's Blessing

The Day is Done

2013-11-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

“His talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly's wings. At one time he understood it no more than the butterfly did and he did not know when it was brushed or marred. Later he became conscious of his damaged wings and of their construction and he learned to think and could not fly any more because the love of flight was gone and he could only remember when it had been effortless.” Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

That has to be one of the saddest quotes from HEM's book, but I have always loved it.... I have known many people like F. Scott Fitzgerald, whom he is speaking of..... today, I can relate to the quote myself.... since I once was a writer of blessings..... a talent that came naturally to me... something that was effortless for me..... sometimes too effortless.... sure I have had moments of absence before.. moments of silence.... however, the words were always tugging at my heart.. I would just seem to lose my way or take a different path, but I would find my way back eventually... the blessing "sabbaticals" never lasted this long........ and though my wings are not damaged and I still want to fly, it isn't in the direction of writing blessings anymore... because it isn't effortless anymore... I am thinking of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "The Day is Done" ... it's a long poem (too long to post here without boring you).. but basically he is describing the end of a long and exhausting day at work... he comes home and wants his lover to read a poem to him.... I do not feel that the last 7 years have been long and exhausting.... I think I feel that the times when I do not write have been long and exhausting.... but I just do not have anything else to say.... like Longfellow, I want to come home to a poem of simplicity which will carry me off to another place... I want to be able to close my eyes and feel the humility of the poet who expresses peaceful serenity... I want to hear it being read to me quietly, almost in a whisper, so that I can let go of the cares of the day and tune into the music of life... the work day is over for him... the blessings are over for me... I want to embrace the night and use this time of slumbering to express myself not as "the girl who writes the blessings" ... but perhaps just... "the girl who writes" ... and if I happen to write a blessing, well then, bravo...

At the suggestion of my oldest son, I have created a new blog called, "The Other Side of "Cloud of Peace" ..yeah, it sounds a little bit evil... like "The Other Side of Eden" ... but it would allow me to just write about anything I want to write about without having to focus on the "blessing" of it... I do not plan to bombard any of you with emails anymore...but I will always be available for you through this email and/or through facebook....

I think of you all very often... I carry your hearts in my heart.... Remember that you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to the world and me always.... you can always visit my "blessing" blog at http://www.mycloudofpeace.blogspot.com/ to read some of the blessings I have posted in the last 2 years (and maybe you'll find a new one every now and then)... ... and/or you can visit my new blog at http://theothersideofcloudofpeace.blogspot.com/ ... (though this will be my first entry there) .....

I once was a writer of blessings..... and I am forever thankful to God for giving me that gift for so long....and I am forever thankful to all of you for blessing me with your friendship for so long....

May your life be blessed with all things good....

I love you,

Elena

Yom Kippur ... and Divine Forgiveness for ALL ....

2013-09-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

“Blessed is the Name of the glory of Your kingship forever and ever”.... second verse of the Shema...

Throughout the year, this blessing is recited in an undertone, as it was “stolen” from the angels. On Yom Kippur, however, we are likened to angels, so we too, like the angels, can recite it out loud.... so, let's begin the blessing by proclaiming......

“Blessed is the Name of the glory of Your kingship forever and ever”...

Yom Kippur, also known as "the Day of Atonement", is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people.... According to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into a book, the "Book of Life", on Rosh HaShanah, and waits until Yom Kippur to "seal" the verdict.... The Tefila Zaka meditation says.. "I fully and finally forgive everyone; may no one be punished because of me. And just as I forgive everyone, so may You grant me grace in the eyes of others, that they too forgive me absolutely." During Yom Kippur itself, Jews fast and pray for God's forgiveness for the transgressions they have made against God in the prior year. Sincere repentance is required, and once again, God can only forgive one for the sins one has committed against God; this is why it is necessary for Jews also to seek the forgiveness of those people who they have wronged.

Of course, I am no expert really.. this is what I read on a website... and since I am Christian, I wanted to, also, read about WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)? We cannot exactly know, but since He was Jewish.. we can believe that He fasted and prayed, together with His community.. He took His own measure, mingling regret and resolve.... He reflected on the year just past, and looked ahead to the year forthcoming... and as so many of His parables say, "Jesus took comfort in a gracious God, Who welcomed not only the "perfect", but also, the penitent...

Because today is about forgiveness... and what I like to do is "connect" us all... I thought that I would give you all a little background on what we ALL believe regarding forgiveness.....

The Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians teach that God's forgiveness is received through personal repentance in conjunction with the ministry of the Church, that is, the Body of Christ. They teach to make formal confession of sins individually in the presence of a priest, and to obtain absolution as a formal expression by the church of God's forgiveness. It is taught that the sacrifice of Jesus via the crucifixion is the vehicle through which God forgives the believer of his or her sins. The sacrament of communion is regarded as central to the reception of divine forgiveness.

The Buddhists believe that in contemplating the law of karma, they realize that it is not a matter of seeking revenge but of practicing metta and forgiveness, for the victimizer is, truly, the most unfortunate of all....

Islamic belief teaches that God (Allah) is 'the most forgiving', and is the original source of all forgiveness. Forgiveness often requires the repentance of those being forgiven. Depending on the type of wrong committed, forgiveness can come either directly from Allah, or from one's fellow man whom received the wrong. In the case of divine forgiveness, the asking for divine forgiveness via repentance is important. In the case of human forgiveness, it is important to both forgive, and to be forgiven.

Ivanla Vanzant, New Thought Spiritual Teacher, said, "Forgiveness is the most powerful tool you have to lessen your burden and heal your life. Simply be willing. Your willingness creates a space for miracles to occur." I think that in order for the miracle to occur... we must believe that forgiveness is the awakening to the reality that the separation never occurred in God’s "eternal" reality... the space created by our willingness to forgive, should be open an free of debris.... the inability to forgive, creates blocks that do not allow us to see the eternal goodness in... and the unity and equality with... one’s brothers and sisters. When we forgive, we remove the fog obscuring the reflection of God within others, which leads to the same sight within ourselves.... If we forgive, we will find that there isn't anything that can be done to us that can affect the eternal oneness that God has created.... all will remain as God created... and we, as blessed people, will remain united in God’s eternal love.... after all, we all make mistakes... we all carry burdens... and so, if WE repent, WE are all offered Divine forgiveness..

May the gift of forgiveness open us up to receive goodness in our lives so that we can be the blessed people God intends for us to be because we are all loved beyond measure and are cherished blessings to the world...

Today, I fast and pray, as Jesus did... I fast and pray in solidarity with all my Jewish brothers and sisters, whom I love so much.. for what we do together is more powerful than what we do individually... we receive more Divine light and grace... "Tzom Kal"

May your day be blessed with the miracle of forgiveness,
With love,
Elena

Beginnings

2013-08-20T04:05:00.000-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

"The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings."
Dave Weinbaum, the new voice of a conservative America

Well... here we go again with the first days of school.... some of us comforting our children... some of us thanking God that summer is over... some of us worrying.. some of us celebrating... Some of this blessing is "Recycled & Reused", however, by the time I finish, I can't guarantee that it will be "Reduced" .... the same as last year, Giorgio came back to the United States a day before school started... except this year, he was away most of the summer.. his first summer in which he only spent maybe 3 weeks of it with me.... last year, he did want to start school... this year, he was ready to go... I was only called "the meanest mama" once for having bought him a blue book bag... okay, I'll take that... he wants to use the same one from last year... and if that's the only complaint, we will definitely be good..... no, no... we will be better than good......

Unlike last year, where it was only he and I, this year, the teens are back... the oldest has been going to college since January and working and travelling and doing what all teens do I guess... he made sure he could go to school on scholarship so that he could stay home and mooch off of me... hahahha... (and I am supposed to be happy about this...) anyway, he is living his life... the middle one has begun his 11th grade homeschooling program and starts college next week as a dual-enrollee... his goal is to finish his AA at the same time that he graduates from high school... good plan (as long as he sticks to it) .... and me? well, I am actually having a new beginning at work, too.......still in the transitioning phase, but I am excited... after all, it's that time of year, isn't it?

Our lives seem to follow a calendar of "beginning" again with every new school year (whether we have children or not) ... everything seems to take on a different motion.. a different vibration... vacations are over .. the laziness of long summer days are gone.. the traffic patterns change.. work schedules change .. etc... it seems like the perfect time to seize every opportunity as new ideas and inspirations come our way so that we can prepare to harvest all those glorious things in the Autumn... we should be gentle with ourselves though... think of how the children are starting a whole new year of their lives and remember back to when you were in school... the feelings of happiness and excitement, apprehension and fear... fortunately, everyone was having similar feelings and old friends helped us through and new friends helped us through and we survived... most of us look back at our school days with great fondness.. "beginning" again was effortless really... it was life in motion.. it should always be so effortless... .

We all know the there is an intense energy when we are beginning something new... I remember when I was a teacher, how exciting it was to prepare the classroom for the first day... how I wanted everything to be just perfect and inviting and peaceful for when the students walked in... and I remember the expressions on the little people's faces.. some would come in and hug you as if you were their only teacher ever.. kind of what Giorgio did this year.... he loves his teachers.. it's the same ones as last year... and the assistant teacher rode on the airplane back from the Dominican with him so he felt like he had an extra special connection with her when telling his friends about his summer.... and then, other kids just look at their teachers with skinny eyes... lol..... I remember now as I am writing this that when I was teaching, every day was like a new beginning... oh those 21+ personalities a teacher has to work with daily... hmmmmm....(come back, Dory)... topic of another blessing ....let me wrap this one up.....

The energy of beginning something new.. (that's where I was)......... absorb this energy and send it forth to others.... be a joyous one... offer love from this space of joy.... inspire those around you... give them the deep and lasting spiritual tools to help them.. . gifts such as these are from God and they are given to us to share.... In God's world there is enough love, enough money, enough joy for all... God asks you to give out of the fullness of your being.... God loves you... do not be afraid of "beginning" anything... embrace every challenge with faith, hope and love... every "beginning" gets you closer to becoming the blessed person God intends you to be.. honor the light within you and share it with others so they are not afraid of "beginning" either...

As a daughter of the Moon, I have to let you know that we are beginning this school year with a full moon... a blue moon.. (yes, another tangent...) the moon is in Aquarius all day today... so I am praying that it will be a great day for me... it is believed that even though the Aquarius Moon is individualistic and values its independence, it also, values the "team" ...because I believe you are all part of my "blessed team", this makes me feel extra energized and my heart is lighted with fire.... when a Full Moon occurs, we can use that energy to suddenly burst forth with proclamations ... it's an outpouring of energy that is fresh and new... therefore, if you believe in astrology, go for it... block that Leo Sun and use the energy of the Aquarius Moon to your favor... (I know I sound like a loon, but it's all about what works for you... )

Of course, if you do not believe in that sort of thing, then simply use the beginning of the school year as an excuse... make it a grand and glorious time - a time of opportunity, growth, and greater ability to exist in the truth of God's love... with each "beginning", your light becomes brighter..... and your life becomes richer ...

and for the teachers and children... I offer this prayer today:

Infinite Spirit of God, open the hearts and minds of the teachers..that they may see our children as individuals .. each unique and beautiful children of God..... that they demonstrate faith, hope and love in the children's ability to learn ... give them patience and understanding... help them to always feel the excitement of these "beginning" school days throughout the whole year.... open the hearts and minds and ears of the children... so that they feel the love and openly receive all the wonderful things that their teachers will be teaching them... give them patience and understanding with one another.. help them to embrace every school day with hope and joy ... thank You, God, for blessing this "beginning" of a new adventure in teaching and in learning... Amen.

May your day be blessed with all things good,
I have missed you..... I love you......
Elena

Daddy... A Journal Entry

2013-06-27T06:28:00.003-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

"No one should be crying.... Daddy lived a happy life and now he's going to live a happier one in heaven..." Giorgio, 10 yr old grandson

Amen, Amen ... but of course, we are crying.... a hurricanes of tears..... and so is he, by the way, but at least he does get it... Daddy is living a happier life in Heaven just as God promised... and we should rejoice...

My Daddy was the happiest man.. and the kindest... and the sweetest.. and the most loving .... when I first met him, I did not really like him.... course, that's what he always said, but I can't remember not liking him ever... except when he was reprimanding me or giving me some kind of life lesson.. sure, I would roll my eyes and look up to the heavens like all children do when their parents lecture them... but he was patient and understanding and never yelled... he was the comforting parent.. the encouraging one.. the one who thought that none of his 5 children could do anything wrong...

Besides my mother, I am the child who lived with him the longest... I adored him and he adored me... I always thought my mother would pass before him, which was insane to think because my father was 19 years older than her... and I would tell him, "I will take care of you, Daddy, when Ma dies" and he would just smile and respond, "You know I am going to die before she does.. I am just happy you are taking care of me now.." ... but what he really wanted was to be alone with my Ma... I invaded their "empty nest" and brought 2 kids with me... and then, I had a 3rd child, who has lived with him all of his ten year old life... Daddy loved my boys insanely... he was retired and bored... they gave him something to do... Giovanni (my oldest) would get up every morning to have breakfast with him.. that was "their" special quiet time... the afternon, belonged to Giancarlo (my middle child) .. Daddy taught him how to play cards and poker, which upsets my mother to this day because she said he was turning my kid into a gambler...lol... the evening belonged to Giorgio.. they'd watch Jeopardy together and they would fall asleep in the chair together...

When the older boys left to travel with their father, Giorgio became everything to Daddy... they were partners... Daddy made coffee and Giorgio would deliver it to my mother's bedside.. Daddy taught Giorgio how to make fried eggs and toast.. and they would take turns each morning making it for one another... they were popcorn-aholics... and Tom & Jerry fanatics.. they fought over who was going to get the mail and who was going to water the plants... Daddy celebrated every crazy thing Giorgio did and they were always laughing ... It was only fitting that Giorgio was with him when Daddy closed his eyes forever...

This past year, even though he was becoming more fragile, he was the happiest I think... my mother retired and they moved to the Dominican Republic... he had her all to himself.. no children, no grandchildren.. only my uncle over there to keep them company every so often... he LOVED my mother fiercely... the way Shakespeare said it should be... she was the poetry in his life... she was his adventure.. she was his love.. a love that overthrew life.. ungovernable... like a constant riot in his heart... and in the end, my mother showed us that she, too, loved my Daddy with the same intensity.. and maybe even more...

My heart is so heavy... none of us have even seen our mother yet.. Daddy died in the D.R. last Saturday.. and they were finally given permission to fly him back to Miami today.. I haven't even held my boys, who laid at his bedside.. taking turns putting their ears close to his heart and convincing themselves that they could still hear his heart beating.. when they all accepted that there was no more breath in him, Giorgio called me...

and so it is... life... eternal life... (to be continued.... I am in a haze.....)

May you all be blessed... you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to the world... please pray for my family...

With love,

Elena

p.s. for all my local brothers and sisters in Christ, here is the link to the services.. if you can, please come and share in the Holy Eucharist with my family.. http://tributes.com/show/Pablo-Diaz-96029178

Poet or Poem

2013-05-23T04:41:00.001-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours...

"If you cannot be a poet, be the poem". ~David Carradine, American Actor..
best known for "Kung Fu"

Four years ago, I used this quote to speak of my little grasshopper, Giovanni... my oldest son, who left me at 14 to travel with his father... He returned to me in late January, a young man... ready to start college and work... he hasn't officially graduated from high school as we are awaiting the results of the homeschool exam, but he has already taken college classes and is registered for summer B in the Honors College.... I really have no idea what he will do in the Fall, (he has 4 schools to choose from) ...but it's okay really... I know that once he decides, he will just do it... He is strong-willed and independent.. intelligent and determined... selective and methodical... his melancholic temperament is unbearable and frustrating to me and his brothers since we are so sanguine.. so outgoing.. so free....but Giovanni has learned to be outgoing and adventurous... and I believe that it's thanks to his father, who moved him around and exposed him to ... life......

He left Tuesday afternoon for a month-long trip to Europe... he wants to be the poet and write about all his travels... the way Master Po did as he walked the earth, absorbing knowledge through each encounter he had; surviving it stronger; and subsequently, teaching the young grasshopper ... Po was always so patient and kind... I loved that show and would love to be that way in teaching my boys... but we all know how hard it is... I think I may have gradually gotten better at this as the years have gone by... listening to them better... trying to speak to them in a loving manner... but I find that I often just stare at them not knowing exactly how to guide them... I am a unconventional mother... but then again, they are unconventional children... we try to plan things out, and for the most part, we follow through, but it's almost as if we are all the poems... God, the poet, seems to be in control of our lives... and it's not so bad really.... to have that kind of faith...

After he was already on the plane, the father sent me a text.. "did we do right in sending him on this trip?" .... I responded, "It's in God's hands now" ... and it is... it's not like he hasn't traveled alone before.. and he probably knows Milan and the Eurail system better than the Miami transit system, but I suppose it is a little scary... he sent me a message from Moscow, but none since.... however, now is not the time to wonder if it was the right thing... we just have to pray that he draws on all the lessons we tried to teach him and then, hope that his faith and trust in God leads him to make the right choices while he is out there writing his poem...

And so it should be with all of us in whatever we do... the quote is actually deeper than I remember when I used it last... I think that at times, we are the poets.. and at other times, we are the poems....... hmmmm? I have lost my train of thought because as I write, I can see this question flashing in front of me... "Am I the poet or am I the poem?" .. I may just have been stumped...

Oh well, I welcome your thoughts... what are you, the poet or the poem? ....

Regardless of the answer, remember that you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to the world....

may you be blessed with all things good,

With love,

Elena

p.s. write me a poem, Giovanni.... love and miss you already... I carry your heart.. Namaste..

Reflections of US

2013-05-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours...

"My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all." John Lennon

Amen, Amen... what a brilliant statement.... THAT's it... THAT's why I write for ME... for YOU... for US.... not everyone wants to express what they're feeling out loud.. and certainly not in written form, where it can be read over and over again by another.. and believe me, I'd like to rant plenty of times and show you all the "cloudofchaos", but then how would that be helping myself or US on our journey through life? ... anyway, let's face it, so many of us enjoy reading blogs on the internet.. we can relate to what people say.. we feel connected to them... we rejoice with them because they're like us.. we feel compassion for others who are going through the same thing as we are.. and we are consoled, too, because we know that we are not alone...

So today, I don't have much to say really..... John pretty much said it all... we are all here.. travelling together... sharing the same joys and sorrows.. sometimes ... we are even experiencing the same things at the same moment as someone we know ... we are reflections of one another... remember that when you express yourselves, it affects others.. in a good way or in a bad way... if you are fortunate enough to have kindred spirits by your side always, then the journey becomes easier, since more than likely, the energy flows in a positive manner...

Of course, those who know me, know that most every blessing I write comes from something that has happened to me... About a week ago, someone called me a "spiritual narcissist" ... and accused me of writing these blessings in order to build up my ego-self... that I am a hypocrite basically because I do not practice what I preach... I've been reading a lot about spiritual narcissism... and I even questioned myself and my motives... I prayed a lot about it.... I certainly did not plan to write about it because I was very hurt by this insult, however, when I clicked on the "quote for the day" today, John reassured me of what I already knew... I am here for ME.. for YOU.. for US ... none of you have to believe everything I write.. you may not connect with every blessing... or you may be living a parallel life with me... only God knows.. I will tell you this, before I sit down and write anything, I say this short prayer, "Holy Spirit fill me with the words that I need to write this blessing... My God, use me as an instrument of Your love...Amen." ... simple as that.... I want to be a reflection of US all...

May you all remember that you are cherished blessings to the world..

................................reflect that in the way you live..

May you all remember that you are loved beyond measure...

................................reflect that in the way you love...

May your weekend be filled with all things better than good,

I love you,

Elena

Light Source

2013-05-14T13:54:00.002-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours..

"It doesn't matter how long we may have been stuck in a sense of our limitations. If we go into a darkened room and turn on the light, it doesn't matter if the room has been dark for a day, a week, or ten thousand years - we turn on the light and it is illuminated."

—Sharon Salzberg, Spiritual teacher and author

I love typing one or two subject words in the google search box and reading pages of quotes about it... so many times, the words of another are exactly what I am thinking... OR.. exactly NOT what I have been thinking, but they still cause me to reflect..... there are so many wonderful messengers in our world... so many blessed people saying things that cause us to stop and think for a minute... some quotes too deep for us to understand and we need to seek help from another source... and some quotes, like the one above, that is so simple really that it's almost an "a-ha" moment...

In my work, I go into many houses that are dark... dark because there is no electricity or dark because the previous owners left their shutters on or dark because there are simply not enough windows.. or dark because it is boarded up to keep squatters out... but when I flip the light switch, everything is illuminated... it's that easy really....

Sometimes, we are living in darkness because we are experiencing difficulties or have too much stress... we don't seem to find enough time to do all that we want to do.. there may be people in our lives who are draining us without us even realizing it... maybe we don't like our jobs.. or some of our friends are sucking us into their darkness... we might even be with a spouse or partner that is in the dark for any one of these reasons and slowly, we just start living in the dark with them instead of helping them turn on the light... or maybe, we are forgetting to pray and meditate and have strayed from the One true source of Light....

I have said this many, many times... WE carry the "light" within us... therefore, WE are light sources... what I think we need to do is remind ourselves of that everyday... when the light of the sun comes creeping through our windows in the morning, we have to remember that we have the opportunity to start anew with our light shining as brightly as the sun...

I saw a movie a long time ago... and I wish I could remember what it was called, but it was about a guy (a politician I think) that went on a silent retreat of sorts... none of his colleagues could understand it, but he was an angry person and needed to find "peace" .. anyway, he loved the place where he was so much that he didn't want to return to his life.. when his ex-wife and friend go to get him and start aggravating him, he simply says out loud, "I am grateful for the sun. I am grateful for the moon. I am grateful for the trees......etc" .... I have never forgotten that and when I can't stand my boys and all the lunacy that ensues in my house, I start saying that... they know that I've had enough... and they slowly stop... the oldest says they stop because they just think I am crazy and I'm not engaging them anyways... lol.... but whatever..it works most of the time.....

What I want to illustrate with this movie tangent is that maybe if we woke up every morning and looked outside at the sun and said,

"Thank You, God, for the Sun. I am grateful that it is illuminating my world to remind me to turn my light on. I am thankful that I can be a light source for others. Help me to remember to send forth blessings of light always. Help me to remember that it is the "light within" that chases the darkness away always."

With that, I would, also, like to thank so many of you for being "light sources" for me... knowing that you are out there reminds me to keep my light on...

May you always be aware that you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to me.

and as evening comes, may you be able to ward off the dark with your own lights...

............Oh wait, and I almost forgot... at nightfall, my Jewish friends will be celebrating Shavu'ot.. it has been 50 days since Passover... today, they were "given" the Torah.. a marriage certificate between the Jews and God... therefore, it is the wedding anniversary of the Jewish people .. so, I'd like to say..."Happy Anniversary my Blessed friends..."

With love,

Elena

Who You Are

2013-05-08T04:54:00.000-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours.....

"When people show you who they are, believe them... the first time."

Maya Angelou

I really have a problem remembering this... . I trust people instantly... why shouldn't I? For the most part, people are inherently good... right? and even if they have a momentary lapse of insanity, it doesn't mean that they are always going to behave that way... or does it?

We are told to have faith in people... hope in people... but how do we regain the trust we have in people when they have shown us who they really are in a negative sense? How do we once again believe that "it'll never happen again" or "I was stressed out...those horrific words were not intended for you really" .. or when they lay on that catholic guilt by saying "why can't you just forgive me, as God would do, and let's pick up where we left off.." Oh, I don't know... I'm thinking, "maybe because you hurt me, disrespected me, broke my heart... yeah.. well, I do forgive you, however, I do not believe that God wants me to forget..."

Matthew 6:15 says, “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Well, God has the ability to not recall the sins He has forgiven of us, if He remembered, we'd be in a lot of trouble I think... If we repent, He forgives us and it's done.... unfortunately, we humans can’t always do that.. I believe that remembering a wrong does not necessarily mean we have not forgiven it. Forgiveness is an action, not just in the mind... to forgive means to not let our actions be RE-actions to the actions against us... and that in itself is very hard because our memories are even better when we have been wronged by someone... anyway, since love is an action, too, not a feeling, we need to act accordingly.. feelings happen... it's what we do with those feelings that concerns God...

I never claim to be like Mother Teresa... and I am sure I have shown people the "other side of the cloudofpeace", but never unprovoked ... I am a non-confrontationalist... if I need to move away from a relationship, well.. that's what I do.. I may offer a little bit of an explanation, but I don't really feel that I have to... many times, offering a "reason", only ends up hurting the other person or provoking an argument whereby, many "ugly" things are said... it's just nicer to say, "Thank you..it's been real... but it's done..." .. I don't know.. seems cruel I suppose, but I am okay with someone saying that to me... I mean, why on earth would I want to be with someone who doesn't want to be with me? ... sure, it hurts... but "letting go" is part of loving....

Okay so.. I had to "let one go" .. one of my people, who I have known since childhood... isn't the first one and probably won't be the last one, but none-the-less.. one of my people are gone... deleted from the blessings (at their request) and blocked on facebook (at mine) ... oh well, that's the way it is with life.. some of the most beautiful days come completely by chance, but even those days eventually have their sunsets...

It seems strange to write such a negative blessing... I think it's actually making me sick to my stomach this early in the morning... so, I am letting it go... regardless of what they think, I would like to say, with all sincerity, to all those who are no longer in my life, as Mahatma Gandhi said, "There are no good-byes, wherever you'll be, you'll be in heart" ...

Now.... where was I? People showing us who they are... yes, while I started with the negative side of that, let's switch to the positive side, which is what I always like to emphasize... There are people whose lights shine so brightly that they can warm a room with just their smile... there are those who walk by you and they smell as if they have been to heaven..... there are those who look you in the eye when you meet them for the first time and you see the love in their hearts instantly.... and there are those, believe it or not, that you exchange written words with on Facebook, and your heart delights in recognizing yourself in them.... yeah, crazy... but when my kindred sister, "Karen", writes "I love you" on my wall... I totally believe she does.. and boy, do I love her, too.... heck, even here... when I get an email from "Carol", a woman I once bought some beads from, who then later, knitted some fabulous socks for me, I just melt... she shows me who she is and all the goodness in her heart without asking anything in return...

So.. let me sum it up already... This is my heartfelt wish to you all.... May you be able to show everyone who you really are... the blessed people you are... show everyone all the love you have in your heart... the first time.. and the second time... and the third time... and always... and may you be able to recognize when people are showing you who they really are... positively or negatively... so that you can "act" accordingly... and by all means... hang on to those who show you God ... there are actually more of them, than of the ones we have to let go of... and by all means, always show one another how loved beyond measure we all are...

We are cherished blessings to the world.... may your day be blessed with an abundance of love in action...

With love,

Elena

i carry your heart

2013-05-07T04:07:00.000-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

"i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)" ee cummings

This is a semi-recycled blessing... every so often, something happens and I say, "I have had this feeling before.. I have written about it... let me see what I had to say.." and I go through he archives... not that much has changed since I sent it almost 2 years ago.. but the story has... I carry more hearts than I did then... many more.. and I feel so blessed that I am able to do so... anyway...... today's story was triggered by boxes and boxes of shoes.. yep, SHOE BOXES... my mind works that way.. lol... In 2005, Cameron Diaz starred in a movie called, "In Her Shoes" .. it is an adorable story about sisters who have nothing in common but their shoe size...

This past weekend, my youngest sister had a beautiful baby girl.. They named her Sabina ... precious, precious, little thing... but the blessing is not about her... it's about the shoe boxes...

I stayed at my friend's apartment in downtown Orlando.. I haven't seen her for about 20 years (possibly more), but we email and text sometimes and when I said I was on my way there, she immediately offered me her apartment.. mind you, she was at St. George Island and she told me that I probably wasn't going to see her but for an hour or 2 on Saturday when she was popping in to change and go on some other adventure... I was cracking up of course... these are the kinds of friends I have... the "forever" kind...

Anyway, I took my 17 year old son with me and well.. you know teenagers are snoopers... he opened up the closet door and you would've thought he won the lotto... he yelled, "Mama.. look at all these shoe boxes.. and fabulous shoes.. I think they are your size, too.." and so there I was, trying on her chic shoes... hahahahahaha... and thinking of all the "posh" events we used to go to when we lived and worked at the Capitol together... and I thought of the movie... and felt such a warm feeling for my "sister" .. and I remembered the poem... "i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)" .. seriously, don't you just want to cry? the emotion that comes with those words is enough to make anyone want to, I think...... it's no wonder that it's always been one of my favorite poems.. after all, I am hopelessly in love with "My People" ... (yep.. you guys again... ) ... and this "Sister" of mine.. she has been carrying my heart, too.. a huge autographed photograph of us from 1993, in sheer silliness, hangs in her in her office.. a Rod McKuen book that I had copied for her to give her inspiration to continue writing is on her bookshelf... packs of cigarettes hidden in a drawer for me just in case I wanted a puff after drinking the beers that she left in the fridge for me.. and a note that simply said, "Little One" .. that was me.. that's what she has always called me...

Oh wow...... ramble, ramble, ramble... the poem... although this poem is so often used in a "romantic love" context, if we think about it as God speaking those words to us, a feeling of comfort comes over us... we are filled with love... if we are secure in the fact that God is carrying our hearts, then, it becomes so simple for us to carry one another's hearts, doesn't it? Since I wrote the first "i carry your heart" blessing, my youngest and I adopted the phrase.. every time we leave one another, and at bedtime after prayers, instead of saying, "goodbye" or "goodnight", we say several things .... it goes like this: "Asalaam Aleikum.. Sat Sri Akaal.. I have faith in you.. Namaste.. (and finally).. I carry your heart".. to which he always responds, "I carry yours forever" ...

I can think of so many "hearts" I carry... even friends (like this "sister") that I haven't seen in 20 years or more... I think of them and my heart smiles... and then, I stay in their apartment for a weekend and it just confirms it for me... carrying people's hearts is easy when you allow God to carry yours...

So, let me close with this proposal of sorts... a little task for you all... first imagine God carrying your heart.. feel His love for you.. then, look around you.. maybe start with your spouse or your significant other... and then, continue with your children, your family, your friends and even your co-workers (as many are your friends) and say to yourself or out loud, "i carry your heart, (i carry it in my heart)" ... let yourself feel the emotion of the words fill you... watch as the one you are saying it to is filled with the emotion you are giving them ... don't be afraid to cry because I think you will want to, too... truly feel the love that is within you ... you are all loved beyond measure and cherished blessings to the world.. we should all carry one another's hearts in our hearts just as God so graciously does for us.. it really isn't that difficult for us to give something that we have an abundance of..... LOVE....

May your day be blessed with all things good,

i carry your hearts, (i carry it in my heart)

I love you,

Elena

Prayer

2013-05-01T04:45:00.000-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:19

If someone told you that by changing one thing about your relationships with people would guarantee that your lives together would significantly improve... wouldn't you at least want to know what it was? Well, there are probably many "one thing's", but today the "one thing" I'd like to tell you about is the practice of praying together.

If you tend to devalue spiritual matters.. this may sound ridiculous... but the unity that grows between people who pray together forms an intense powerful connection. This especially holds true for married couples as you have a partner for life to pray with.... praying with your children also creates an everlasting bond... and imagine the possibilities if you pray with your friends... the love that grows between you can be as strong or even stronger than a family tie.

When I worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Capitol in Tallahassee, I lived with an old woman named Ernestine... it was only supposed to be for the 2 month session, but I loved living there and decided to stay and she allowed me to stay in her house for as long as I wanted. She was an old southern Baptist who was very active in her church... In the fall, she took a yearly trip to Georgia on a bus with her friends from the church to see the "colors" of autumn... I drove her over to meet her group and before she got out of the car she took my hands and said, "Pray with me... Oh Heavenly Father, watch over this little girl while she is alone in my home... and watch over me as I journey with my friends to see the wondrous beauty of this season that You have created for us... I ask this in Jesus' name... Amen" ..

Of course, it wasn't the first time that someone had asked me to pray with them, but it is a moment, that even now, almost 30 years later, I recall as if it were yesterday....

The Catholic church has a slogan that says... The family that prays together, stays together. The saying comes from interpretations of the Book of Proverbs regarding the Virtuous Woman and from the Book of Ruth which has parallels .. It is not an actual Proverb that can be found in the Bible however. This Slogan was first used by the Roman Catholic Family Rosary Crusade led by Father Patrick Peyton. The crusade began in 1942 and the slogan was apparently first broadcast on March 6, 1947 during the radio program Family Theater of the Air. .. (just a little trivia....)

We tried this in our home when we were in college... we would sit with my abuela and crack up ... she wanted to do the rosary in spanish.. we wanted to do it in english... my brother would race through the Hail Mary.. the other would laugh... she'd make us start over... we'd roll our eyes... she'd roll her eyes ... and finally ... she'd shake her head saying... "Haci no se reza el rosario" (This isn't how you pray the Rosary) ... however, in retrospect... it was a lovely 20 minutes where we all came together and prayed...

I do say daily prayers... alone and with my 3 boys... it helps that I still have a little one because he will call the older ones in to pray with him... and I pray with some of my friends... mostly my "church" friends... oh wait, yep, just dawned on me as I write this, I pray with the ones I KNOW will pray with me... and I have prayed with strangers because they have asked me to... but I would love to say a little prayer every once in awhile with some of my other friends... it's just that it's almost creepy to just walk up to them and say, "Let's say a little prayer together" ... ok...I am totally LOL right now envisioning the reaction on some of their faces...

great... now I'm laughing and in rambling mode.... and I apologize.... how are you going to take me seriously when I say, "Pray Together" ?

Maybe if I give you some examples of people who pray together in public and in groups..... the easiest to envision are the people in your church or temple... now, think of the sports teams that huddle together in prayer before a game... or the Legislature that starts its sessions with an "interfaith" prayer...... or the people who offer their prayers on Facebook on a "group" page like "Pray for Bella"

and now ... imagine how much easier it is to hold your spouses hand... you boyfriend/girlfriend's hand... your mother/father's hand.... your child's hand... your friends hand... and just say a little prayer together.... WE can do it because we are loved beyond measure and are cherished blessings to the world....

let us Pray with the world's people....

May you be blessed with all things good,

With Love,

Elena

Bear Witness

2013-04-25T04:02:00.000-07:00

hello from my heart to yours...

bear witness to something

to show by your existence that something is true

hmmm...... that is the wikipedia definition... I looked it up because every day I bear witness to all the wonderful somethings "My People" do... They never cease to amaze me..... ...

"My People" .... my family, my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ, my cyber-friends, my facebook friends, my neighbors, my co-workers..

"My People" .. they are amazing... they show, by their existence, that God is true... and everyone can see God in the way they act, speak, look and even think...

everything "My People" do reflects God and His ways....

Can you tell that I am in love with "My People"? Yes, with the full moon casting all it's Divine light on me, I have come to that realization this morning...

I went through my blessing email list... not all of you are saved by name and I cannot even tell you who some of you are.. but you are "My People" and when I receive a response from you, my heart smiles and my eyes may even swell with tears at times........

you honor me by reading my ramblings and by taking the time to say a few words back...

you are with me, you live in my heart, you share with me, you "get" me..

you live in my house, you live across the street, you live in my neighborhood...

you go to my church, you grew up with me, you have children who are friends with my children..

you work with me, you play with me, you send me gifts in the mail...

you live in missouri, texas, louisiana, tennessee, maine, new hampshire,, washington, virginia, california, georgia, north carolina, new york, illinois, michigan...

you live in australia, thailand, italy, ecuador, israel, germany, malaysia, dominican republic...

YOU are "My People" ... and I bear witness everyday to all the "somethings" that you do by your blessed existence...

Crazy, huh?

This is not even a "subscribe to" type of email list and I have 1317 of you here every time I write... it has been 7 years now since I sent my first "Blessing" ... in the beginning, I chose who to send them to.. then you asked me to add friends.. then aol merged my contacts when I switched to gmail, and more of you were added (and some deleted).... and some of you are just added randomly.. I have no idea...

I have come a long way since then and when I read some of the old blessings, I see how I have become more personal and long-winded as time has passed... lol... but I, also, see how much more "in love" with all of you I have become as well... I did start publishing these blessings on a blog, but none of you seem to click on the link...(or maybe I have never given it to you.. I can't remember) ... but it doesn't matter, I have spoiled you.. I think that as "My People", you deserve to be spoiled...... however, if you ever want to read the blessings there or send the link on to a friend without having to forward the email... the address is www.mycloudofpeace.blogspot.com ...

Anyway, I guess I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to bear witness to YOU.... so.... thank YOU...

Remember that you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to the world.... by your existence, you show that God is true....

May your day be blessed with all things good,

With love,

Elena

Flying Lesson

2013-04-24T04:05:00.001-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours...

"'Come to the edge,' he said.

They said, 'We are afraid.'

'Come to the edge,' he said.

They came.

He pushed them, and they flew..."

- Guillaume Apollinaire
********************************************************************

This is one of my favorite quotes.... I can totally envision it... For me, it's about having the faith that when pushed, I really am capable of flying... We all need little pushes sometimes to move forward in life... In some areas of my life, I have not needed anyone to push me, instead I have needed people to hold me back... but now that I have been "flying" freely, I realize that there were so many areas of my life where I wish someone would have pushed me years ago...

Since October or so... I have soared way out of my comfort zone and have learned so many things about myself... I have gone up and down, and glided at times, not really knowing if the wind was carrying me or not... but I have had faith and have not been afraid to look down because I know that I am a work in progress...and just like a bird spread its wings, if I spread my arms wide enough, I will make it further than I can ever imagine...

I have become a little more responsible... a little more organized... I am held accountable .... I am part of a team... and get this, I even have business cards...... those of you who truly know me are probably cracking up right now, but it's true... I'm like a grown up... I've had the box of cards for almost a month and just gave away the first one yesterday.. felt kind of nice.. I belong to something bigger... I just needed a little push... someone to have faith in me.. someone to tell me to go ahead and do it.. someone to be willing to teach me... someone to pray for me... yep, that's it... all those "someones" pushed me a little and now I can see beyond the horizon... sure, I still have those "moments" of hesitation, but now that I have felt what it is like to fly, it doesn't take much of a push before I am already jumping off the edge again......

Anyway, let's use this quote to do a mental exercise today... a meditation of sorts ...

Close your eyes...Think of a current problem; a situation you may be in; anything that you know is holding you back from moving forward... In your mind's eye, see it is represented by a wide, deep chasm cut across the face of the earth and imagine yourself fearlessly stepping to the very edge and looking down.... Far, far below you can see a rapidly flowing river so narrowed by the distance that it looks no wider than string.

Now imagine spreading your arms open wide and leaping from the edge, falling downward for an instant and then feeling your body being lifted on a strong current of air.... You ride the current upward.. .. Up, up, up you go, soaring higher and higher, feeling exhilarated and alive....

Soaring to a whole new level of understanding where faith, hope and love keep you afloat... and all because you stepped to the edge and jumped...

So, did you see yourself? Try this every time you find yourself having to deal with some kind of "problem" ... even a "disappointment" ... or a "project" ... I don't know... put whatever you want into that chasm ... see it disappear into the flowing river... have faith in God and yourselves ... and you will always be able to fly...

Everything we fear in life that deters us from moving forward either tie us in knots and make us feel trapped or gives us an opportunity to fly.... We get to choose which.... and may you always be aware that everything that we fear in life is a flying lesson in disguise....

You are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to me... Let's all fly together...

May your day be filled with all things good,

With Love,

Elena

Giving

2013-04-23T04:43:00.003-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours...

"What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other." --George Elliot

One of the greatest habits you can develop is the habit of giving to others; freely and cheerfully giving as much and as often as you can.... and I am not saying to go out and spend tons of money and handing out gifts.... no, no, no...... give of yourself.... give of the joy you carry in your heart....

Probably the easiest way to give is through a smile... you can develop the habit of giving quickly if you just went around smiling at people.... then following through by maybe uttering the word "hello" .... super easy really...

This morning, I woke to the sounds of the birds singing outside my window... since I don't have the A/C on, and all the windows are open, it was like a symphony going completely through the house... as if the birds in the front yard were singing to the ones in the back yard ... it was just like a Disney movie.... I stayed in bed for about 10 minutes just listening... thanked God for giving me that beautiful song to start my day, and got up....

As I was preparing the coffee, Giorgio came into the kitchen quietly and said, "Mama, the birds are so happy today.....even Hunter has joined in the singing.." (Hunter is our little parakeet, who was indeed, chirping away..) and so is the trickling effect of joy... God gave us singing birds...which gave us joy and happiness... in the same way, when you give, the joyful energy you send out comes back in the most remarkable ways... don't concern yourself with how it will come back or even if it will... just be conscious of the joy that comes in giving of yourself.... And as you do, giving cheerfully, lovingly, openly and unconditionally, then the law of cause and effect will come into play and far more than you have given will be given back...

I am so blessed to belong to a vicious circle of "giving" .... I wake up to smiling boys who adore me (fortunately, they all wake up happy) ... when I drop of Giorgio, I am greeted by other smiling mothers and teachers... when I go to work, my co-workers practically scream "good morning" .. (they are the happiest people) ... when I visit job-sites, the workers are happy to see me and show me all that they have accomplished ... and when I visit the tenants, they hug me and welcome me inside and share coffee or soda with me... how can I NOT be happy? all the smiles and embraces I receive throughout my day, are gifts of one-self... absolutely free...

See how easy it is? Go out today and (if it doesn't come naturally to you) make a conscious effort to smile at everyone you see... no one is going to think you're crazy, they are going to love it and smile back.... even the ones that might think you're crazy, will walk away shaking their heads....smiling... hahaha.... so.....give smiles, give hugs, give love, give simple acts of kindness....give attention, give time, give understanding, give willingness, give a hand.. none of these things cost money .... giving is always, always, always beneficial to everyone and everything concerned.

Since you are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to the world, it is sooooo easy to give.... give, give, give... and you will receive, receive, receive ... what a blessing!

May your Tuesday be as terrific as you are....
With love,
Elena

Love the Earth

2013-04-22T13:31:00.001-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

"Fields of wonder are the places God goes walking, I found them by mistake and I’ve trespassed." Rod McKuen

Today is Earth Day... I probably should have written about it on Friday as most of the world spent the weekend giving back to the earth... but, it really just slipped my mind... I would love to say that I did something, like clean up the Biscayne Bay, but I didn't... I do try to make a conscious effort to love the earth every day... anyway, I think we have these kind of "designated" days to remind people, who otherwise would not think twice about it, that we need to be aware of the things that affect our world....

I am a total nature girl... the dirtier I can get planting and re-planting my garden, the better I feel... I am a true tree-hugger... not just in that hippie connotation, but in that I will HUG a tree that looks like it is in distress and say, "grow tree, grow" .. I think this came from a cartoon my older boys used to watch.. maybe dragon-tales.. I'm not sure, but it stuck with us... why not? we should be able to feel the pain in nature... those of us who have been through natural disasters and have seen our trees uprooted, know how devastating it is.. I can't be the only one who has shed a tear for a lost mango or avocado tree...

I have often felt as though I have been walking in the "fields of wonder" ... my brothers and I would spend countless hours roaming and exploring the land in Louisiana.... we always smelled of earth and hay and horses and goats and berries and rancid "coolie" water ... I would pick every weed flower there was and adorn myself with them... as teens, in Miami, we frequented "hidden valley" ... not sure if I could tell you where it is now, but all of our friends would go there to swim in a natural spring of sorts.. we learned how to swing from ropes and flip in the air and do back dives from the cliff... we were all so free... always barefoot and dark from the sun... then, as a young adult in New York, I left the city every weekend for Hunter Mountain.. never did that much skiing.. just loved hiking through the woods, following the little bubbling water sounds... always a creek beneath the snow and rocks.. and now, as an adult, my favorite escapes are to the ocean and/or camping... I feel that all my life thus far has been a "hike" of sorts.... to far fields I have gone, along the sea and above the hills and back again... always running on some new ground and learning that all those wondrous fields belong to God.. He gave us this beautiful earth... and it is our responsibility to take care of it.... to harm the earth in any way is to heap contempt on God... as Chief Seattle said, "The earth does not belong to man, we belong to the earth" ...

The following commercial "Crying Indian" aired in 1970... I was a little girl, but it had a huge impact on me... whenever I see people flinging things out of their car window, I "see" the Indian before my eyes... and it makes me so sad.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7OHG7tHrNM

So... I don't know where I was going with all this... preserve the earth... love the earth... thank God for all the flowers, trees, streams, rivers, oceans, mountains, valleys.. all of nature sustains us, trees create oxygen for us to breathe... rivers quench our thirst when we are parched.. flowers fill our nostrils with heavenly fragrances.. etc... the earth provides all that we need... and if you don't believe me, go outside and walk on the grass barefoot... lie down on it.. look up at the trees above you.. the leaves... beyond it the clouds and the sky... breathe in softly.. smell the yellow of the sun... I guarantee you that your spirit will feel the oneness with the earth... the oneness with God....

You are loved beyond measure and area cherished blessing to the world... love this world we live in...

May you be blessed with all things good,

with Love,

Elena

Promises and Deals

2013-04-17T04:07:00.000-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours...

... I don't usually receive "topics" to write about from people, but a long time friend of mine asked me what I thought about those "promises or deals" we make with God .. you know the ones, "I will never drink again if You help me through this hangover, God" ... or how about, "I will not cut my hair if You get me out of this situation, God" .. (yeah, sounds ridiculous, but I have seen it)... how about the little "strings".. promises of what? until they fall off... yep, even I am guilty of that... I wore a string bracelet and wooden cross that was hand-made by the Carmelite nuns.. it was given to me when I was pregnant with G3... I was supposed to wear it until the string wore down and broke on it's own...and I did.. I never took it off... if I had to go to nice events, I simply wore a bigger bracelet over it to cover it.. anyway, it broke right after he turned 10... if you tied me in chains and threatened to torture me, I wouldn't be able to tell you what promise was supposed to be fulfilled... lol... probably because I do not believe in that kind of thing really....

I don't think we can make deals with God.... it isn't, "You do this for me, God and I will do this for You.." God knows the outcome of those kind of empty "promises" and "deals" long before we make them to Him.... certainly, He knows that even if we recover from the hangover, we are going to drink again... and eventually, we have to cut our hair lest we are a modern-day Samson ... I don't know... let me reflect on this a minute... I feel like my kids with their SAT or FCAT writing "prompts" ... it's hard to randomly write on a topic someone gives you.....

okay... so , this is what I think... there is nothing to bargain for nor to ask for.. God knows best and I trust in Him... He made His promises to us and kept them... all He wants is for us to love Him.. we don't have to bribe Him, we only have to give Him our hearts and believe in Him... if we want to love Him in return, then it's really not even a deal.. it is an agreement.... love comes unbidden... we simply love... love is the leaven of life and it is all within us.. we are not just a party to love.. we ARE love.. so, the only "promise" or "deal" we can make with God comes from the First Commandment...

Deuteronomy 6:-5 :"Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul and all thy might" .. this is the basic credo of Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation is a mitzvah (religious commandment). ... The New Testament (Matthew 22:35-40) asserts that all morality flows from the "Great Commandment" , in which Jesus was reaffirming the teaching of the Torah using the same exact words...

We are a month away from Shavu'ot... and a month away from Pentecost... I read some really beautiful things about US.. WE, the children of One God, regarding these Holidays and how they Divinely connect us, but I am going to leave that for a blessing closer to those celebrations... however, I do want to say this.... since Shavu'ot is when God entered into a relationship with the Jews by giving them the Torah in written form... His original covenant with the chosen people ......... and Pentecost is when God established the New Covenant by writing in the hearts of those who would receive the Holy Spirit and follow the teachings of Jesus.... well then, maybe we can use this time to reflect on the only promise worth making to God...

...Infinite Spirit of God, I know You love me... I promise to follow Your "Great Commandment" and love You with all my heart and all my soul and all my might...

that's the deal... cross my heart... this is my truth...... Amen, Amen....

Remember that you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to the world... Love one another as God loves you....

I love you,

Elena

Interlocking

2013-04-12T04:42:00.001-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

"The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being.
His heart withers if it does not answer another heart.
His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts
and finds no other inspiration."
~ Pearl S. Buck

Have you ever seen a sequoia tree? Chances are that since most of us on this email list are in Florida... we have not... These trees tower hundreds of feet in the air.. the tallest as of last measurement in 2008 being 397 ft.... they can withstand intense environmental pressures. Lightning can strike them, fierce winds can blow, and fires can rage around them.. and yet, they remain firm and grow ever stronger through the trials... One of the secrets to their strength lies below the surface.... they reach out and interlock their roots with the sequoias around them.. each becomes empowered and reinforced by the strength of the others.

This little secret of the sequoia tree is the key to maintaining strong and loving relationships... people who interlock their lives in a network of other strong relationships can increase their chances of surviving the fiercest of storms. We must all pursue Godly advice, healthy friendships and mentors of all kinds....

Fortunately, my life is interlocked with several groups... With this whole social networking phenomenon, I have come to realize that no matter how long it's been since I have seen a childhood friend... the love that was there 40 years ago.. is still there... the memories we all have of each other.. the fondness.. the energy we all shared... the good and the bad... all twisted and knotted together in our roots... have sustained years of separation.... we have unknowingly empowered each other to grow into adulthood.. each individually tall and strong... and yet each connected by our childhood.... but, now as adults, some of those roots have reached for others in a marvelous way and we are interlocked today more than ever...

For 10 years now, I have come to know an incredible interlocking of faith with my Emmaus Sisters and Brothers in Christ... what brings us together is a 7 mile walk... and our belief that Jesus always walks among us even if we do not recognize him at first... many of us are not friends outside of this ministry, but what is constant is that when one Sister or Brother is in need... whether we know them personally or not... our interlocking roots are so powerful that we unite in prayer... we share in each others joys and sorrows.. and the amazing thing is that we are not limited to our own parishes... an Emmaus Sister or Brother is your sibling in Christ no matter where they are or what church they belong to....

And just one more example... our families... I have written about my siblings many times... while we are all interlocked in one way or another... most of you know that of the 5, I have one that is interlocked so tightly that we stand next to one another in the forest... reaching out to the others... there's no rhyme or reason for it... it just is...

We have often heard the quote by John Donne...

No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main;....

And this is it... on and on I ramble to say this: extend your roots out... reach for those who will help you stand strong and tall like the sequoia and who you can help to stand taller and stronger... start at home.. with your spouse.. with your boyfriend/girlfriend... with your children.. with your siblings... interlock yourselves.. pray together... create unbreakable roots... connect with your friends... your school communities... your synagogue ... your church... but be ever weary of people and groups that are detrimental to you because they are out there reaching for you, too... have faith and trust in God ... because you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to me...

Hey... guess what? I just realized that all of you receiving and reading this email are interlocked, too... oh that's soooo awesome... see how easy it is...

May you always hear another's heart... and be able to interlock with that heart forever....

and may your weekend be blessed with all things good,

Elena

Shine Your Light

2013-04-08T13:39:00.003-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?

You are a child of God, small games do not work in this world. For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. We were born to express the glory of God that lives in us. It is not in some of us, it is in all of us. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission for others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others.’

Marianne Williamson in Return to Love: Reflections on a Course in Miracles

Your light is yours to use. The more you shine your light in the spirit of peace and love, the better you will feel... and the better you feel, the more everything and everybody around you feels and responds in kind. Every time you turn on your light, it changes the behavior of everyone and everything that comes in contact with your radiance.... conditions and circumstances improve instantly as you radiate your light from the inside out.

This past Saturday, my friends hosted a fundraiser for the "Florida Breast Cancer Foundation" at "The Fish House"... A Musical Stampede hosted by "Maverick Music" (one of my favorite "lights") ... there were some established bands and duos..and some guest singers from other bands... and some very talented "wanna-be's" ... everyone was welcome to get on the stage... it was a room on fire with light... it was a chain-reaction of "light" ... when you have someone like "Mav", who isn't scared to share his light, welcoming people to the party, it gives every newcomer the permission to let go and shine their light as well.... I know you have all been at a party like this.. or even walked into a seminar or workshop or your synagogue or church and have felt it...that glowing peace... but maybe I can use a childhood story, that all of us know, to give a better example....

Remember the story of Charlotte's Web ? ... poor Wilbur is the runt of the litter, but with Fern's love, he grows to be very big.... the sheep keeps telling Wilbur that the farmer is going to kill him, but Wilbur does not want to die... Charlotte comes up with an idea... with the help of the other farm animals, they come up with words to describe Wilbur.. and she spins.. SOME PIG ; RADIANT; TERRIFIC; and HUMBLE ... in the end, by Charlotte shining her light (her talent of webbing words), all the farm animals were shining their lights as well by helping... and Wilbur's light was shining because his fear of death was gone... and when they went to the State Fair... the farmer's light was shining because he had a radiant, terrific and humble pig... and the town's people's lights were shining, too.... because they were proud to have Wilbur as their Town pig..... and so on.....

See how it works? it's a "LIGHT" chain reaction...

Affirm: I am blessed. I am brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. I am radiant, terrific and humble. I will shine my light brightly and I will see the light shining in others. I will liberate myself from all my fears because I am a child of God and I have faith, hope and love in my heart. I am loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to the world. Let this be my truth. Amen.

May you spend the rest of this marvelous Monday (and everyday thereafter) shining your light so that others may shine their lights, too.... imagine what a bright and loving world this will be ... because we are SOME PEOPLE !

You are loved ...

Elena

Is it Morning?

2013-04-04T03:58:00.000-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours.....

An old Hasidic rabbi asked his pupils how to tell when night ended and the morning began (which is the time for certain holy prayers).
"Is it when you see an animal in the distance and know whether it's a sheep or a dog?" asked one pupil.
"No," the rabbi answered.
"Is it when you can look at a tree and can tell whether it's a fig tree or a pear tree?" asked another.
"No," the rabbi answered again.
After a few more tries, the pupils asked, "Then tell us, what is it?"

"It is when you can look upon the face of any man or woman and know that they are your sister or brother. Until then it is still night."

Daniel Gottlieb,

taken from Learning From the Heart.

Is it still night in your life? Or has morning come?

These days, we never really take the time to "look upon the face" of others.. we wake up in the morning in a rush to get everyone on their way to wherever they have to go.. perhaps not even saying "good morning" or "have the best day ever" .. not every family does morning prayers together or evening prayers for that matter... I am even guilty of skipping them sometimes, but I do find that I am always looking upon the faces of my children... and they do look upon mine.. we have those secret greetings and sayings that bind us.. recently, we added "Sat Sri Akaal" which means "God is the ultimate truth" .. oh, we so love that...

Anyway, morning always comes for us... but it is an especially special time for me and my youngest. Because of the spectrum world we live in, we have to follow the same routine or all chaos ensues.. so, I get up and make coffee.. I turn on the light in his room.. I drink some coffee and think about the day I have ahead of me..... I pray. I meditate. I praise God. (and sometimes, I write a blessing..) I go tell him, "Rise and shine, the day is Divine.. you need to get up Principito" (or some other greeting that I know will make him smile) .... I make his eggs and toast and set it on the counter.. I walk back to his room again and make sure he is dressing.. he comes to eat.. I stand beside the counter and play "words with friends" as he eats.. and then......... I look upon him... I love to look at his long eyelashes... his freckled face.. the way his hair stands up...the way he chews.. the way he drinks... so much so, that many times he will look up from his plate and ask, "why do you stare at me like that, Mama?" .... I say, "because you are my cutie" .. and he laughs a little and says I'm silly... it's probably when he is at his calmest and sweetest.

This month is "Autism Awareness Month" ... the neurologist says he has Aspergers... sometimes, I disagree... his brothers always disagree.. they believe he is just a brat that wants his way all the time... yeah, I can see that, too... none-the-less, he is special this little boy.. he is so loving... it is easy to see God in him when you are one-on-one with him... but when he is angry... well, watch out... Studies show that an estimated 1 out of 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States.. the numbers are probably greater, if you ask me, simply because so many, like my child, are diagnosed with every other thing, but an Autism Spectrum Disorder... usually they just get an ADHD or ODD diagnosis and then, fall through the cracks... when people see this child in his "wild" state, they do believe he is just bratty or crazy or worse, that I am a horrible parent.. they do not take the time to "look upon his face" and see that he is their brother...

We are all guilty of this at one time or another... we just don't have time for it... we walk right past loved ones and strangers alike without stopping to "look upon their faces"... I am fortunate to be able to "see" so many people as my sisters and brothers... I think I wrote a blessing once about how we say, "I C U" to one another .... and we do.. we do feel the connection, the energy, the peace... we see one another's reflections in ourselves... we see one another as "sisters and brothers" ... yeah, I know, sounds so way out there... so, let me just wrap this up since I am tangent writing now...

All I really wanted to say is that we are all children of God and it should always be morning for us... how wonderful if we could always sing ...

Morning has broken, like the first morning.
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word.

May you always "look upon the faces" of others and see your sisters and brothers... may you always love one another beyond measure ... may you be blessed and may others be blessed by you... you are a cherished blessing to the world and me.

May your day be filled with morning after morning...

With love,
Elena

Affirmations

2013-04-02T04:48:00.001-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives."
Henry David Thoreau

.. That's the reason affirmations work.... It is the same thought said silently or spoken out loud... every thought we entertain repeatedly today will shape what will come tomorrow... It is so simple and yet a bit difficult, as well because some thoughts we may want to convert into affirmations are not phrased properly and may sound more like selfish "wants" ... these days, with so many people in search of ways to become more spiritual, the are endless resources... I love to read and learn... I take bits and pieces from everything I read because not everything I read is what I believe, but I mold it to fit me and my belief in One God... He is who makes things happen, if I believe and let Him....

One of my absolute favorite books is called "The Game of Life (and How to Play It)" by Florence Scovel Shinn...it was first publish in 1925... but some people are way ahead of their time in their thoughts and people just don't "get" it and find them "far-out" .... anyway, it is full of stories and examples on how to use positive affirmations; how to envision things happening positively; how to believe that you are all deserving of only good things; how to accept these things and be thankful for them... I have memorized many of them.. and I have learned to pray and affirm by using this book as a reference guide..... it does work... especially if you believe.. because if you truly believe and have faith that the Infinite Spirit of God will give you all that is your in your Divine Right, you will receive it...

The simple rules of the game of life are fearless faith, nonresistance and LOVE... the goal is to be freed from the things that hold you in bondage and bring into manifestation the Divine Design of life... health, wealth, love and perfect expression... and so again, I tell you.... everything is possible with faith, hope and love.... have faith in God, yourselves and one another.. have hope in God, yourselves and one another... but most of all, LOVE God, yourselves and one another... and you will be able to create glorious pathways with your thoughts...... affirm and demand this today with me....

"Infinite Spirit of God, open the way for the Divine Design of my life to manifest; I am ever thankful and acknowledge that is a gift from You... let my light shine; let the genius within me be released; let me see clearly the perfect plan.. for there is a place that I am to fill, which no one else can fill; there is something which I am to do, which no one else can do... I am under grace and I am loved beyond measure.. I am a cherished blessing to the world..."

May your day be blessed with all things good,
With love,

Elena

Manna from Heaven

2013-03-29T05:06:00.003-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours...

"I have proof that we're going to have food in Heaven! Man did eat angel's food... Manna!" David Brandt Berg

Last night, the Christians entered into a new movement... the three days, the Holy Triduum, that are the core of our liturgical year, and indeed of the Christian faith.... on this night, in preparation for the Passover, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples and thus gave, to those who believed that He was the Son of God, the New Covenant of grace.. He became the perfect sacrificial lamb sacrificing himself for our sins and instituting the Holy Eucharist that will be our unleavened bread or manna from Heaven....

The First Scripture Reading roots us deeply in our Jewish past ... celebrating the Passover with the Jewish people (Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14) .. It reminds us of the exit and liberation of the people in slavery in Egypt and the meal that commemorates it... "This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate." (Ex 12:14) .. that's what most of us pray for during our Lenten journey.. we desire a greater freedom, and a deeper liberation from the patterns that keep us from being free from the patterns that keep us far from God's grace.... we want to come to the Holy Thursday memorial with those desires alive with hunger and thirst....

... the Talmud says that manna from heaven was found near the homes of those with strong belief in God and far from the homes of those with doubts... it is what fed the Israelites during their time in the desert... it is what feeds us all.... all of us who believe in God.

Today is Good Friday... and the 4th day of Passover.. No Mass is celebrated on this day, but the service of Good Friday is called the "Mass of the Presanctified" because Communion, which had already been consecrated on Holy Thursday, is given to the people ... Today the Jewish blessing is "Blessed are You, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion." ... I think it is a perfect blessing for Christians to say as well since we believe that when we eat the "Bread of life," we will never be hungry again... He sustains us....

Remember that we are loved beyond measure and are cherished blessings to the world... celebrate the connection we have to one another as children of one God ... there's enough manna from heaven for everyone.. share.....

Again, Happy Passover and Happy Easter ! May all my Jewish friends continue to celebrate a blessed Passover with their families, and as my Christian friends enter a weekend of "remembering", may we all sing "Alleluia" on Easter Sunday... Jesus Christ is Risen ! ....

With Love,
Elena

Freedom to Change

2013-03-26T04:33:00.000-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours...

"We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden." Johan Wolfganf von Goethe

Happy Passover.... Happy Holy Week....

This is my absolute favorite time of the year... this is when I feel closest to my Jewish friends... amazingly, I have written about our connection to one another every year and always stated it as "the connection with the people of the world". However, in a religious census done in 2010, Christians and Jews only make up 32.2% of the worlds religious people... I thought the percentage was much higher than that, which is why I googled it in the first place... ...

Anyway, the "freedom" festival has begun... the "Holy" week has begun... and our hearts are filled with faith, hope and love in abundance... .

During Lent, I have been changing and renewing myself...my heart needed changing... a little piece of it was hardening... not because I did not have God in my heart, I just wasn't tending to the vineyard ... I wasn't doing the "will" of my Father even though I had said I would... and when I saw a bit of dry soil in my vineyard, I chose to throw down my tools and give up instead of digging in and cultivating the soil so that my vineyard could thrive... so, I removed the weeds and rocks that were preventing me from having sweet grapes instead of sour ones and I am "Me" again... come Easter Sunday, I will be drinking the finest wine from my vineyard as I rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus....

We all have a hard time with God's "Will" ... I think He expects us to.. I think that's how He teaches us to be the blessed people He intends for us to be.. by giving us different vineyards to choose from along our journey.. it's up to us if we stay and prepare the earth so the grapes grow.. or if we throw in the tools and hop over to another vineyard that someone else has already harvested and is serving the wine... it's up to us to change our hearts so that they aren't hardened and strangled by the weeds... but it takes strength and perseverance for sure... and a whole lot of praying...

When God told Moses that He had chosen him to free the Hebrews from slavery, he was not sure he could do it, however, he did not throw his staff and give up, he did the "will" of his father and simply said, "Let my people go." Of course, Pharaoh did not listen, and then, God sent the plagues... giving Pharaoh an opportunity to change his hardened heart each time, however, it wasn't until the 10th plague (where the Angel of Death "Passed Over" the Hebrew homes, which had been marked with lambs blood over the doorposts) that Pharaoh finally relented since his son was dead.

When Jesus returned to Jerusalem on Thursday for "The Last Supper", he already knew what was going to happen to him, however, he was going to fulfill the "will" of his Father in order for our sins to be forgiven and so that we could have eternal life in heaven with him and God.. imagine if he would've left the Mount of Olives and run away avoiding what was to come instead of trusting God...

Anyway, it's too early.. and I haven't even had breakfast yet.. but as part of my Lenten repentance, I offer this prayer:

I am sorry God, although I say "yes" to You, I realize that I continue to stumble, and sometimes, I let myself be led totally off-course by those who do not bring me closer to You... but I am here and I promise to fight the good fight.. the sour grapes, well, they belong to me, but so do the sweet ones that I have cultivated during Lent.. Let me not forget that they are sweet because of You..... Thank You, God, for giving me strength to work in the vineyard.. help me to always get through the dry soil.. Give me the courage to destroy the toughest weeds and the grace to survive the pricks from the largest thorns... I trust You.. Your "will" be done .... and if I forget, help me to change my heart immediately... Amen, Amen.

May you all be able to change and renew your hearts always so that they are never hardened... remember that you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to the world.. come drink some sweet wine with me and let's celebrate OUR freedom ...

With love,

Elena

p.s. This is a quick summary of our connection....

In Judaism, the people celebrate the beginning of the biblical year with two of the three pilgrimage festivals, Passover and Pentecost (Shavuot)... In Christianity, the believers celebrate Easter and Pentecost. Our religious worlds are connected through Pentecost (Fiftieth Day)...

On Passover, the Jewish people were freed from their enslavement to Pharoah; on Shavuot they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God ...

On Easter, the Christian people were given the gift of eternal life in Heaven; on Pentecost they were given the Holy Spirit, thus creating the Holy Trinity and the Birthday of the Church.

... these holidays are always celebrated in the Spring.... making Spring the season of new hope and renewal for all who have faith in our one God..

Purpose

2013-03-22T01:30:00.000-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

"Looking backward helps us to go forward with a sense of purpose." Rod McKuen

This may seem like a strange quote being as though we usually hear that we shouldn't look back... that the past should stay in the past... and as a matter of fact, when I googled, I couldn't find any quote that said "look back" ... however, I have always trusted Rod and his words... so, as I wrap up my Lenten journey, I have decided that I am going to glance back every once in awhile to remind me how wonderful this Holy time has been for me... and to ensure that I continue to move forward in God's grace ......with purpose...

All the moments in our lives thus lived are tools for moving forward... if we have experienced difficult times, we need to figure out a way to not go back there... EVER.... accept the lesson as learned and correct it as you move ahead... pray to God to give you the ability to open your eyes to see, open your ears to hear, and open your heart to feel all the little warnings... so that you can recognize when you are back there in that stagnate place .. and most of all, ask God for strength to run like heck out of there...

If there were better times in the past, then pray to God to help you remember how you saw things.. how you heard things.. how you felt things... to try to find a way to get that YOU back ... we can't re-live the moments and we shouldn't want to... we need to build on that happiness... reflect on what it was in ourselves that made us so happy during those times... ... maybe we had a better job... maybe we were surrounded by fabulous people... maybe, even, we had a better dog... sounds silly, I know... and it is... jobs and fabulous people and dogs don't make us happier... you were happier because YOU were happier... those things were just incidental...

So this weekend... glance backward for a minute or two... see what it is that can get you moving forward with a sense of purpose.... after all,. it's Spring.. a time of renewal.. it's Lent.. it's Passover... it's Easter ... ALL holidays that free us from the bonds of the past... through prayer, penance, repentance and alms-giving, we ultimately REJOICE.. we are no longer slaves.. we are promised eternal life in heaven.... we can move forward with a purpose... the light within us will illuminate our path... we are people of faith, hope and love.....

This is my prayer affirmation... (using a quote by Og Mandino) ...

Infinite Spirit of God help me to move forward. I am loved beyond measure. I am a blessing to the world. I have a purpose in life and I live a purposeful life. I have faith, hope and love ever present in my heart. "I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy." Thank you God for making this my truth. Amen.

May your weekend be blessed with purposeful moments,
with love,
Elena

Spring Itself

2013-03-20T00:44:00.000-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours...

"When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself." Ernest Hemingway (A Moveable Feast)

Today's quote sounds pretty cynical when all I write about is having faith in one another and blessing people so that you are blessed in return.. but I love HEM and I love this quote because it reminds me of all the people in my life who ARE as good as spring itself...

and it's SPRING!!!..

so.......... Today, I celebrate and salute my "Spring" people...

You know who you are..

You are the ones who continue to receive my blessings (and maybe even sometimes) you are the ones who read them... lol...

You are the ones who respond and thank me...and write me to ask me who I am and how you came to be on my blessing list in the first place....

You are the ones who secretly send me gifts like hand-knit socks, meditation pebbles, hand-made "cross" anklets and Buddha bracelets.... fleur-de-lis relics, angel wing necklaces, letters and note cards, hyacinths ready to bloom, ........

You are the ones who put hearts and happy faces on my facebook wall.. and post songs for me... and tag me in inspirational pictures..

You are the ones who ask me to sing in the middle of the night at retreats... and decorate prayer rooms.. and who invite me to break "challah" ... and walk the stations of the cross in the garden...

You are the ones who build me up.. and have faith in me.. and trust me... and teach me.. and want me to grow...

You are the ones who make me laugh and cry and feel...

You are the ones who call me Mama, Elena Maria, Ea, Laney, Lane, Hijita, Sissy, Sister-In-Christ, Tia, Auntie, Mon Ami, Beautiful, Sweetheart, Hippie, Loon...

You are the ones who inspire me, who feed my light, who feed my soul... who bless me with an abundance of love...

You are the ones who bring me closer to God....

YOU are my "Spring" people.... and I love you all...

... e.e. cummings wrote:

"sweet spring is your

time is my time is our

time for springtime is lovetime

and viva sweet love”

YES!!! Viva the sweet love of all my "Spring" people.... for I am blessed... my days cannot be spoiled... the only problem I have is where to be happiest... I carry "happiness" in my heart always because of YOU... I am a blessed child of God... and so are all of you... you know who you are...

YOU are cherished blessings to the world and to me...

YOU are loved beyond measure always....

I celebrate Spring... and I celebrate and salute YOU....

May your days be filled with the unlimited love and happiness of all the people you know who are like YOU..................................................as good as Spring itself...

With love,

Elena

Everything is a Blessing

2013-03-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

"Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from." Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Amen, Amen.... but, that's a tough one to believe, isn't it? especially if you experience test after test, trial after trial, struggle after struggle... especially if you feel it's just one heartache after another... and seriously, everyone has asked, at one time or another, "Why God?.. how much more do I have to endure?" .. it's perfectly normal to question why, however, we need to step back and reflect.. we need to stop and look deep inside our hearts and try to find the blessing in it... of course, as I write that I can only think of Mother Teresa when she said, “I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much.” ... lol... I find it so humorous really... maybe that's what we should all believe so that we don't feel so smothered by life....

Everything in our lives is a blessing, including ourselves. I have read so many definitions for the word "blessing" .. the dictionary one I like the most is, "a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness".. if we believe that our happiness is independent of our circumstances and that it is self-contained then, regardless of what is happening to us externally, we can be truly happy internally, and therefore, blessed... it's that simple... yeah, right... it sounds simple enough, but here's where that "faith, hope and love" we are always supposed to have comes into play..

I believe that God is the source of all my blessings.. He is an eternally loving presence within me...He knows all about me and loves and adores me as I am.. and I believe that everyone has this eternally loving source within them, also..

Learning to accept, enjoy, and appreciate all the conditions in your life as somehow part of God's plan is difficult for sure, especially since we all know that many of the blessings bestowed upon us are not revealed immediately, but if we learn to be patient and meditate and pray, we will realize that everything we experience is a blessing, even if we don't like it.... the idea is to learn and grow...

Anyway.. when I saw the above quote, I thought I was going to write about "no coincidences" in life.. guess that wasn't in God's plan... lol... so, let me wrap it up...during Lent, we have been keep a "gratitude" journal whereby, we write down just one thing that we are grateful for in the day.. at first, I didn't know how to begin, but Giorgio, my 10 year old, showed me (through his thoughts) that the deepest, most meaningful aspects of life to be grateful for, are the ones that appear to be ordinary and inconsequential... for example, "I am grateful that I have shoes on my feet"...or "I am grateful to have my Mama"... sometimes, the blessing is as simple and as vital as, “I’m alive... I’m breathing... I’m here.” ... all those "tests, trials, struggles and heartaches", well....., I can wait to see the blessing in them.... I can wait til God reveals them to me... there are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings for me to learn and grow into the blessed person God intends me to be... And so it is.....

May you all be able to believe that everything in life has purpose.. that everything is a blessing bestowed upon you by God to bring happiness to your heart because you are loved beyond measure.. you are a cherished blessing to the world...

May your day be blessed with all things good,
With love,
Elena

Light Within

2013-03-15T13:47:00.001-07:00

Hello from my heart to yours....

For the past week or so.. this has been my daily affirmation...

"I am the keeper of my own light ... it comes from within."

I have written so many blessings about the "light" we carry within ourselves, and yet, I have felt that my own light has been taken from me.. slowly (for the past 3 months especially) my light has been dimming ... and the inability to write blessings is a visible sign of that..... but, last weekend I went to see my Emmaus Sisters at the Lenten Retreat, and low and behold, my heart began to burn within me... it was lighted with fire... I even did something I have never done in the 9 years that I have been attending the retreats... I sang from the altar!!! ... I am the "secret singer" at the retreats, but my lovely friend, Solangel, (Sun Angel) asked me to do the Responsorial Psalm ... "Taste and see the goodness of the Lord" .... how apropo really... anyway, all I remember is that I moved the mic away from myself and stood there swaying back and forth with my hands clasped behind my back for what seemed like hours.. I looked to the priest and then I looked to Sol, who nodded to go ahead, and I sang.... once I sang the first line, I could feel the light within me being ignited again....and I totally forgot I was on the altar.

Anyway, people can do this for us... they can help us be closer to God, and hence, help light our hearts again... and then, there are those people who are capable of blowing your light out without us even realizing it.. we just wake up one day and wonder who we are.... There in the house of God, surrounded by my sisters, how could my light not be ignited? What we have to strive for is to make sure we have at least one person in our lives that reminds us to "taste and see the goodness of God" ... He is the light we carry in our hearts... we have to be aware of our light and make sure it is always on....

In our journey through life, we are all given challenges and tests... troubles and strife.. we all feel moments of hopelessness and despair.. it is part of our human experience, but we have it in us to accept those times and face them head-on.. armed with the light that we carry within us... if someone was able to take that light away from us, I can only believe that it is because we had forgotten that the faith, hope and love that we carry in our hearts can overcome any obstacle in our way... prayer and daily affirmations are a steadfast way to finding our way back to ourselves and to our light source....

I am finding my way back again... I don't think I "forgot" really... I simply became overwhelmed and was taking the easy way out until I did not recognize "ME" anymore... I am a loner by nature (no one believes that, but it's true) ... and I am very detached... but, I do love.. I am in love with loving people, but am selective about who I allow to love me back ... so selfish of me, I know... but I know that there are those people who I love, who always keep me close to God, and then, there are, also, the opposite kind of people, who pull me away from the true source of light... I have to become better at recognizing who is who.... God's presence in my heart is the only way to replenish the light within....

So, I say this prayer now.....

"Infinite Spirit of God, I thank You for the love and light You have graciously placed in my heart. May I be able to draw upon its strength always... knowing that You are who replenishes it daily.. Thank you for the Spiritual beings you have chosen as my travel companions through life.. May our lights join so Divinely as to not allow anyone to be able to extinguish them... May we always be the blessed people You intend us to be.. Amen."

May you all love the light that guides you from within.. may you be a source of light for someone who needs a little push to find their way back... remember that this human experience you are having is only for a short time, as the cherished blessing that you are to the world, shine your love and light so that everyone realizes how loved beyond measure we all are....

May your afternoon be filled with light.

With love,

Elena