Mind Body Spirit Journal

Becoming Free

2008-06-16T15:00:00.001+02:00

Becoming Free
A Reminder of the Principles of Life

1: Life does not work through indecision. Indecision promotes blocks, confusion and stress. Make a decision and allow life to find movement through you. Trust yourself.

2: The 3 C's of life are Courage, Capacity and Commitment. It takes Courage and a commitment to make many of life's decisions, and capacity to follow them through. The 3 C's of a successful relationship are Caring, Consideration and Communication. Communication opens the door between us, consideration allows us to pass through it and our ability to care for each other unites us.

3: Truth is not truth out of timing- yet it remains truth. We are the timing to recognize truth.

4: The mind recoils from the unknown, so we seek to make everything known, and, thus sage. Imagination is the key to the unknown- positive, uplifting imagination.

5: For as long as we search for Our God Self, we deny that we are it. Loving your self reveals your truth.

6: Becoming free is not changing yourself into someone you think you should be. Becoming free is falling in love with who you are- right now.

7: Imagine a room of pitch dark and a room of bright light connected by a door. When you open the door what happens? Light floods into the dark room, illuminating it. Live accordingly, think thoughts of light.

8: F.E.A.R- False Evidence Appearing Real

9: Anything of the past that is unresolved is unresolved now. Living NOW resolves the past.

10: Life flows from the inside out, never the reverse. Understand this and you cease to be a victim.

11: Love responds- fear reacts. Love connects- fear separates. Love uplifts- fear deflates. Love creates- fear destroys.

12: There is no such thing as a mistake- only experience. There is no such thing as failure- only people's condemnation. There is no such thing as success- only people's approval. Let life live through you.

13: Do not get caught up in modifying your life, allow life to change YOU. Modification is a superficial exterior veneer, change is an inner shift in consciousness.

14: Pain is a measure of your resistance to change.

15: Decide whether you want to be an onlooker of life or a participant. This is the birthplace of choice.

16: You hear with your ears- but you listen with your mind. You look with your eyes- but you see from the heart.

17: Consciousness is not contained in your body- you are the consciousness that contains the body. Consciousness draws to itself form through which to express

18: Your mind cannot exist in the moment. You cannot think your way into the moment, you can only think your way out of it. This indicates that your mind/intellect cannot set you free. Only your consciousness is aware of NOW. True freedom is a state of consciousness.

19: We each live in our own universe, a universe of our making. It is designed to support our beliefs and our focus. Our thoughts are our focus, so observe your thoughts, focus on your blessings, and trust. This is how you become a participant.

20: Practise seeing all life around you as an aspect of yourself. In this way you shatter the illusion of separation.

21: Your mind does now know the difference between what you do want or what you don't want, it only knows what you focus on. Many people focus on what they don't have, what they are incapable of doing and their sicknesses.

22: If you focus on what you do have, it increases. If you focus on what you don't have, you will have even less. If you focus on your capabilities, they grow, if you focus on your health, it improves.

23: Your mind does not know the difference between a powerfully imagined reality and a physical happening reality. Why? Because there is no difference.

24: You only have a problem if you believe you have a problem.

25: Live these principles and you will be practising reality. Practise reality until you overcome the illusion. It is only an illusion that you are not free, now!

Authors Details: Unknown Author

Why We Keep Seeing Lack of Understanding? - Unite For Human Rights

2008-05-15T19:55:00.003+02:00

Since today is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations, I decided I would like to show my support by writing something related to the Human Rights issue on this blog. Actually, after I received an announcement from Blog Catalog about the Bloggers Unite For Human Rights, I've been thinking about this topic - about basic rights and freedoms, and moreover, why we keep seeing lack of understanding in this concept.

Looking around the world, it is quite obvious that not everybody respects Human Rights. Not only in the war & conflict zones, but also in the countries like the United States, Japan, UK and the EU countries which considered as developed and stable countries.
Basic human right would constitute the right of every individual to his/her fundamental freedom without distinction as to race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, age, physical ability, or religion. But how often do we hear stories about discriminations against individuals concerning all these facts?
In Japan, where I was born and grew up, I came across so many stories about Gaijin (a foreigner) not being able to find an apartment to rent because "the apartment is for Japanese only". While I was living in the Middle East, I witnessed some cases of modern day slavery and the abuse toward men & women. Here in Spain, I personally received some abusive words by a group of strangers because of my Asian appearance. Just switching on TV, a stream of reports about various wars between different religious and racial groups hits us daily.

It seems to me that most of violations against humanity, large or small, are simply the result of lack of consideration. Whether it is a soldier torturing his prisoners, or a man raping a girl, or a country invading the other country. In the end, it's just because the person forgot the simple teaching, "Treat others as you want them to treat you ." Or maybe, he was raised in a situation that he was given everything he wanted ever since he was a little boy, then he learned to think in the way that everything is given to him because he is superior to others... He just doesn't understand that he hurt other people because he was never taught to put himself in the other person's shoes.
Maybe I'm being a bit too simplistic here. But, this very basic teaching and lack of understanding this concept seems to have been resulted in many, many violence and abuse cases.

I wonder if you have ever read a book called "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" by Robert Fulghum. It is a delightful collection of his short essays. He lists lessons normally learned in American kindergarten classrooms and explains how the world would be improved if adults adhered to the same basic rules as children. In his book, he states:

"A six-year-old will not understand that “By and large it has been demonstrated that violence is counterproductive to the constructive interaction of persons and societies.” True. But a child can better understand that the rule out in the world and in the school is the same: Don’t hit people. Bad things happen. The child must understand this rule is connected to the first rule: People won’t share or play fair if you hit them."

Everybody had his childhood. I wonder if the person who involved in a crime against Human Rights remembered about this simple teaching and held it in his heart, would he have acted in the same manner? I do wonder what makes people stop listening to his gentle, inner voice?

"Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all — the whole world — had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are — when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."

Connecting To My Creativity

2008-05-06T19:35:00.001+02:00

The print of this image is available from my ImageKind Gallery.

(The following blog post was originally published on my "Photo and Sketch" Blog.)

Sometimes I do get discouraged and depressed by my poor ability to express my inner visions. I get so frustrated by my lack of skills to bring the image in my mind into a physical form. But the worth thing happened to me in the last 2 years. I couldn't connect to my creativity.

When I was younger and free, I never felt there was a limit to my imagination. That time, my only limitation was my skills and experiences. I'd never imagined that I'd ever get to the stage where my imagination and creativity dry out - but it happened.

Everybody, or almost everybody goes through a certain time in his life with difficulties and challenges. I'm no exception to this. The past 2 years has been a very challenging time for me and my husband. To tell the truth, I'd been through even more difficult time in the past, but this time, something was not quite the same. Somehow, I managed to loose some of the precious qualities of myself - imagination and creativity. Feeling so tired and stressed out all the time, I kept ignoring my urge to paint and photograph something I REALLY wanted, not the sort of things I commissioned to do, and one day, I suddenly realized that I had been hushing the little cry inside me too long. When I sat in front of a blank canvas, I couldn't find anything I wanted to paint. Took my camera and rushed outside, I couldn't find anything attractive. Everything around me looked so dull and lifeless.

It felt like hell. Cried, cried and cried. For months on end, I tried to bring back my lost self, but whatever I did, nothing really worked. One day in April, when I was feeling completely drained, a book jumped into my sight out of our bookshelf. I picked up the book, "To Honor the Earth", for the first time in years. I opened it to the page with my favorite photograph of trees standing in the morning mist. I started reading the message written on the page opposite. This message from a realm beyond our physical reality truly sank into my heart then.

On a rainy day you can appreciate the good in the weather and act in a way that is appropriate to it. Always look for and find the unique flavor of each moment and each place you find yourself in, not wishing for something different. You would be amazed if you could see what a difference this makes to the life forces. Each moment has its own beauty, but it can be nullified if you resist the flow and put yourself out of harmony with it. To go with the natural rhythms is far more important than you realize. Inspiration comes on all levels when you are relaxed in the flow of life.
-- Landscape Angel --

I cannot say what exactly, but certainly something had happened in me then. My yearning to express myself had come back. My style in art and photography had changed. My obsession toward one particular subject had disappeared.

My rehabilitation to bring back my artistic self has been going on ever since.

(Above image was created in this renewing period. )

Is It Art? Or Not?

2008-04-30T17:37:00.003+02:00

Lately, I received an email condemning the actions of the artist, Guillermo Vargas Jiménez, known as the artist name "Habacuc".
According to the email, in 2007, the Costa Rican "artist" took an abandoned dog from the streets, and then tied the dog to a very short rope to the wall of an art gallery in Managua, placed a pan of food on the other side of the room beyond his reach, and left him there to slowly die of hunger and thirst - as part of an "art" installation.

This was a very disturbing news to me as I am an artist myself, and love animals. So I did some search on the web to find out more about this "art" and came across variety of stories about this "art" exhibition.

This is what the "artist" said originally;

"I knew the dog died on the following day from lack of food. During the inauguration, I knew that the dog was persecuted in the evening between the houses of aluminium and cardboard in a district of Managua. 5 children who helped to capture the dog received 10 bonds of córdobas for their assistance. During the exhibition some people requested the freedom of the small dog, which the artist refused. The name of the dog was Natividad, and I let him die of hunger in the sight of everyone, as if the death of a poor dog was a shameless media show in which nobody does anything but to applaud or to watch disturbed. In the place that the dog was exposed remain a metal cable and a cord. The dog was extremely ill and did not want to eat, so in natural surroundings it would have died anyway; thus they are all poor dogs: sooner or later they die or are killed."

Then he changed his statement several times depending on the climate of public opinion. In the end, Juanita Bermúdez, director of the Códice Gallery, insisted the dog escaped after just one day and didn't die at the gallery.

Surprisingly, the prestigious Centralamerican Biennial of Art decided that this insensible act - whether the dog really died or not - was art, and Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel actions in "Bienal Centroamericana Honduras 2008.”

It seems that no one really knows whether the dog died at the gallery or ran away from there. However the pictures are enough to make a judgement. The dog clearly needed loving attention and tender care, not to be displayed as a piece of "art". This poor creature did not deserve this, nor any other animal on this planet. The Managua exhibition certainly attracted worldwide attention and many people believe it to have been an act of cruelty rather than art.

It might be quite difficult to judge what is art and what is not. If you label all the disturbing images as "not art", then what about the paintings by Goya, or those by artists involving in so called “dark art”? But at the same time, if you accept the starving dog as a piece of art, what about the photographs of victims taken by a murderer or a rapist? In my opinion, if the art physically hurt or harm something or somebody, then it should not be called art, but then, if Guillermo Vargas Habacuc did not leave the dog to starve to death, was it art?

Where should we draw the line?

Eternal Moment Greeting Cards

2008-04-23T17:22:00.003+02:00

This is just a little announcement.

Recently, I created an online greeting card store called "Eternal Moment Greeting Cards" on the Greeting Card Universe site. I'm still working on adding more designs to my collections, but it's up and running.
All the photos and paintings are my own work. A lot of my cards have got some inspirational & encouraging quotes on them, so if you are interested in, please visit my store by clicking the link here (http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/eternalmomentcards).

I would truly appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Change the World with Hugs

2008-04-10T20:07:00.003+02:00

A hug is a handshake from the heart
~Unknown~

When was the last time you had a hug?

It is a very simple act, really. But have you ever given thought to what a single hug can do to us?
A hug can bring us comfort, warms and feeling of safety. It can send the message of love without saying anything. It can be a welcoming gesture. For some, like me, it is an every day essential ;-)
Somebody said;

Hugging is good medicine. It transfers energy, and gives the person hugged an emotional boost. You need four hugs a day for survival, eight for maintenance, and twelve for growth. A hug makes you feel good. The skin is the largest organ we have and it needs a great deal of care. A hug can cover a lot of skin and gives the message that you care. It is also a form of communication. It can say things you don't have words for. The nicest thing about a hug is that you usually can't give one without getting one.
- Author Unknown -

When you’re feeling sad and lonely, very often all you need is a hug from somebody you love. But what can you do if you don’t have somebody nearby? Maybe families live far away or friends just don’t understand?

Well, you can try Free Hugs.

A man, Juan Mann, started a phenomenal movement in Australia back in 2004. He is the one who started giving "Free Hugs" to a complete strangers and set the trend of Free Hugs Campaign all over the world. He proved that you can actually make a difference to the world by giving one little hug to somebody. If you don't believe me, check out the Free Hugs Campaign website, or Wikipedia, or just google "free hugs" to find out how this act of love is spreading all over the world.

Hugging is one of those things you can't give without getting one, as I quoted above, and one of the simplest things you can do to make YOU and other people feel good at the same time. So when you need a hug, the best thing you can do is to give one to somebody.

Isn't it nice to think that while you are fulfilling your need for a little comfort, you are changing the world as well?

A single hug might turn world to a better place :-)

Big hugs to you...

P.S. Oh, by the way, if you visit Free Hugs Campaign website, you can find a link to the free download for the ebook "The Illustrated Guide to Free Hugs".

The Act of Good Will

2008-04-06T15:22:00.002+02:00

Daily, we hear news about conflicts all over the world. Every day when we turn the TV on, there's a stream of reports of killing and violence coming out of TV set. Sometimes I feel like I should stop watching news or reading paper altogether.
Middle East is the hot topic of every news program every day, especially Iraq, Palestine and Israel. Usually we hear only the negative reports from those regions, but is there only the act of hate exist over there? I don't think so.

This is a little bit of an old story, since this event took place in 2005, but in the growing atmosphere of hate and anger toward Muslims, I thought it is worth mentioning again. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Not all people of Islam are violent. Only a fraction of extremists involve in terrorism. Not all.

This is a story about a Palestinian family.

*********

A 12-year-old Palestinian boy, Ahmad Ismail Khatib, was shot by Israeli occupation soldiers while he was playing in the alleys of Jenin refugee camp. The children were playing with wooden sticks, imitating soldiers by holding them as if they were rifles. Ahmad happened to be among those children.

The first Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) bullet hit Ahmad's hip. The second IOF bullet hit his head. The bullet was certainly aimed to kill Ahmad. The IOF soldier mistook the child for a sniper.

Later, Ahmad died of his wounds.

After Ahmad's death, the boy's family had decided to donate his organs Israeli children "to bring hearts closer and bring peace closer". “Despite the pain, they made a very courageous decision,” the boy’s uncle, Jamal Khatib, told Israel Television. “This is part of our culture. As Muslims,” he said, “we can tell the world that we are not terrorists.”

His organs helped save the lives of six Israeli patients. His heart was given to a 12-year-old girl; his liver was divided in two and given to two patients, a six-month old baby and a 56-year-old woman; his kidneys were given to a 5-year-old boy and his lungs were given to a 5-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl.

The boy’s father said, “Israeli children are our children. We are doing this because we believe in peace.”

A letter from God

2008-03-23T14:39:00.009+01:00

I recently came across this story, which was forwarded to me by my friend by email.
When I read the story, I was truly touched, and wanted to find out if this was a true story. Having had some searches, it seemed that this was indeed a true story which occurred in San Antonio.

First, read the story.

********

Some of you may know that our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month (8/23). The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her.

She dictated and I wrote:

Dear God,
Will you please take special care of our dog, Abbey? She died yesterday and is heaven. We miss her very much. We are happy that you let us have her as our dog even though she got sick. I hope that you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and swim before she got sick. I am sending some pictures of her so that when you see her in heaven you will know she is our special dog. But I really do miss her.

Love,
Meredith Claire

P.S.: Mommy wrote the words after Mer told them to her.

We put that in an envelope with 2 pictures of Abbey, and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Mer stuck some stamps on the front (because, as she said, it may take lots of stamps to get a letter all the way to heaven) and that afternoon I let her drop it into the letter box at the post office.

For a few days, she would ask if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, for Labor Day, we took the kids to Austin to a natural history museum. When we got back, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch. Curious, I went to look at it. It had a gold star card on the front and said "To: Mer" in an unfamiliar hand.

Meredith took it in and opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers, When a Pet Dies. Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God, in its opened envelope (which was marked 'Return to Sender: Insufficient address'). On the opposite page, one of the pictures of Abbey was taped under the words "For Meredith." We turned to the back cover, and there was the other picture of Abbey, and this handwritten note on pink paper:

Dear Mer,
I know that you will be happy to know that Abbey arrived safely and soundly in Heaven! Having the pictures you sent to me was such a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

You know, Meredith, she isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me — just like she stays in your heart — young and running and playing. Abbey loved being your dog, you know. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets! — so I can't keep your beautiful letter. I am sending it to you with the pictures so that you will have this book to keep and remember Abbey.

One of my angels is taking care of this for me. I hope the little book helps.

Thank you for the beautiful letter. Thank your mother for sending it. What a wonderful mother you have! I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I am in heaven and wherever there is love.

Love,
God, and the special angel who wrote this after God told her the words.

As a parent and a pet lover, this is one of the kindest things that I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is some very kind soul working in the dead letter office. Just wanted to share this act of compassion :) dear friend — hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

********

So, here's the background story...

In August 2006, the San Antonio family of Greg and Joy Scrivener and their three children suffered the loss of Abbey, their 14-year-old dog. Concerning about what happen to Abbey, 4-year-old Meredith dictated the a letter to her mother, then enclosed it with two photos of Abbey in an envelope addressed "To: God in Heaven." This envelope, bearing the family's return address, was dropped into a mailbox at the Brook Hollow post office.

Two weeks later, the Scriveners found a package on their front porch, addressed "To: Mer." In the parcel, there was a letter from "God" quoted above, and a book by Fred Rogers "When a Pet Dies" (a book that "helps children share feelings of the loss of a pet while offering reassurance that grieving is a natural, healing thing to do").

According to her mother, Meredith was comforted by the book and the letter. While Mrs. Scrivener considered asking at the post office about the package, she decided against it. "I kind of like not knowing," she said. "I don't know who took the time to do it, but it was an angel. We all think about doing these things, but no one takes the time to do it."

When I come across these kind of stories, I just feel so happy and blessed. The percel and the letter was probably sent by somebody working at the post office, and how wonderful to have a person like him/her on this planet! True angel, or at least someone with a heart of angel ;-), is living among us!

Saving the Black Bears

2008-03-13T18:43:00.003+01:00

I wasn't so sure if I wanted to publish this one on this blog, but I decided to do so. I really want everyone to help these animals.

If you have travelled to the UK, or have watched a program about the country, you might have seen the "Queen's Guard" standing outside the palace in the bright red and black uniform with a big bearskin hat.

The big furry hat is made of real black bears' skin. It takes as much as the entire hide of one bear to make just one guard's hat. Those black bears are hunted in Canada, and their skins are shipped to the UK. Many of the bears are shot several times before they die, and some escape the hunters and bleed to death. When mother bears are killed, orphaned cubs are left behind to starve. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), in the past five years alone, more than £321,000 was spent to the slaughter of black bears for ceremonial hats.

PETA is calling on Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to stop using bear pelts to make headpieces for the five guards regiments and to have the hats fashioned from luxurious faux fur instead. (If you want to find out more in detail, go to http://www.unbearablecruelty.co.uk/)

I strongly believe that, with the science and technology we have now, there's no good reason to keep killing the black bears any more. The faux fur is surely good enough, wouldn't you say?

If you want to help them, you can sign up for the petition here.

Things To Be Grateful For

2008-03-11T17:43:00.002+01:00

Have you ever had the experience of being so grateful for the tiniest thing after you'd been through the "stormy phase" of your life?
Suddenly, everything is so beautiful and glowing with energy, and you cannot help feeling grateful for everything - the sun shine, the blue sky, the song of birds, the gentle breeze and being alive surrounded by all of them.

It is sad that, very often, we live without noticing all the beauties and wonders around us. We live ignoring them and feeling so isolated and alone.

There are hundreds of thousands of things to be grateful for, anytime, on regular basis. If you are feeling there isn't much to feel grateful about in your life, here's a small list of things which might help you.

1. Be grateful for a new day. Everyday is a complete new day with new opportunities and new insights. You are fresh and new each day with no limits.

2. Be grateful for the sunshine, the rain, the cold wind. They are the reminder for you to be aware of all the senses you've got. It gives you an opportunity to sharpen your sense.

3. Be grateful for a cup of coffee or tea when you have it. Feel the warmth filling your stomach and heart. It washes down the tension and stress you were feeling.

4. Be grateful for a traffic jam. It is a great chance to notice the things you have missed before. Notice the wildflower flowering on the roadside, a falcon soaring high into the sky, the evening glare paints the gray buildings pink. The world is filled with amazement.

5. Be grateful for the love you have. Not only the love you receive, but, more importantly, the love you have inside you.

The gratitude is one of the essential things in life. It reminds you that you are not alone and there is always the light - the eternal light of love and joy - shining upon you.

My Friend's Website -- the Law of Attraction

2008-03-09T15:16:00.004+01:00

"Law of Attraction"

Do you have a Dream Life in your mind? Looking at your own life now, how close is it to your Dream Life?

If you are one of those people who has already got everything you wanted, that's great! I congratulate you and I'm really happy about your success. Keep on going, and along your way, please inspire other people who wants to manifest a Dream Life like you did.
How about the rest of you? A half way there? Or, still have a long way to go?

Recently, one of my dear friends launched a website about the personal growth and the law of attraction.
Borrowing her own words, she is "here to grab you from your eyeballs and show you how to take the two crucial steps beyond positive thinking." As she promise on her statement, she will tell you exactly how do use power of positive thinking and much, much more. She confidently says, "if you don't "get it" from this website... you never will."

Before you get to the wrong conclusion that I might be sending you to a website selling an ebook, this is not the case. All the information about the law of attraction, beyond positive thinking and manifesting is there, on her website, at no cost. You don't need to sign up, either.

So, if you are interested in creating your Dream Life for real, take a look at her website. You might find something so significant that could change you life for better.

By the way, she is also giving away a vacation in Hawaii. Yes, I did say "giving away" for free.
If you'd like to win this Hawaii trip (and I'm sure a lot of you do!), go to her website and check out the details ;-)

Here is the link to her website --- Click the words to find out more about the law of attraction .

A Story To Live By

2008-03-06T18:49:00.003+01:00

Sometimes we just wait and wait until it is too late.

How often do you hear the statements like these; "That's OK, I'll do it tomorrow" or "I'm just waiting for the perfect moment to do it."

Have you ever bought a dress for a "special occasion" and never worn it? Have you told "I love you" or "thank you" or "I'm proud of you" to your loved one recently, or are you one of those people holding these words for a special occasion?

But, what if those "special occasions" never arrived? What if it was too late?

Here's a little inspiring story for you to read.

*****************************************

A Story To Live By

by Ann Wells, Los Angeles Times

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached. "Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion." He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me. "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."

I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town where my sister's family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special. I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life.

I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden.

I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event-such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing.

I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends'.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I'm not sure what my sister would have done had she known that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with-someday. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write-one of these days.
Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.

I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is...a gift from God.

by Ann Wells in the Los Angeles Times
No further information is available about the author

My Life Quiz

2008-03-05T15:34:00.003+01:00

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.7
Mind:	7.5
Body:	8.9
Spirit:	8
Friends/Family:	5.5
Love:	9.1
Finance:	6.6
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

OK, you might wonder what this chart is all about.

This is called "My Life Quiz" and the above chart is my result ;-)
You go to the site following the "Take the Rate My Life Quiz" link, and just answer some questions (honestly ;-) ) . They will give you a result chart like above instantly.

To be honest, I don't know how accurate this is, but certainly it doesn't take time or money or anything and it is FUN!
Anyway, that what we are after; fun. Wouldn't you agree?

MyBlogLog Varification

2008-02-28T15:09:00.000+01:00

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Don't Let Them Steal Your Joy

2008-02-26T18:06:00.003+01:00

Joy lies in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in the victory itself.

~ Mahatma Ghandi ~

Following is an article by Paul Kearley.

******************

Have you ever had one of those days where everything you touched seemed to turn to work out?

You feel like you are on top of the world, and nothing can knock you off.

I was flying high! It was a terrific day, and I was feeling the euphoria of a project finally coming together. It seemed as if every person I talked to was interested in my project, and the gray cloud of doubt I had been under for so long was finally starting to lift.

The sun seemed brighter, even though it was raining.

I had a new song, a better song... a happier song.

But someone else wanted to be king of my castle, and I allowed my crown to tumble.

I was driving to my next appointment, the second last one for the day, I was singing, traffic was flowing and I had nothing but joy to keep me company. As I turned on the main thoroughfare, and was heading across the causeway, I noticed a pickup in my rear-view mirror that was so close to my rear bumper, I couldn't even see the headlights. In the cab of the truck I could see three ball capped, orkish heads leering at me, trying to push me to go faster.

I maintained my speed.

He stayed on my tail, but now he was sounding his horn, announcing that he wanted me to go faster or get out of the way.

Thinking that he was in a hurry to get somewhere, I slowed down and pulled over as close to the side of my lane as I could, leaving lots of room between me and the next lane, which, incidentally, was completely open. The horn sounded louder and the truck crept even closer.

I pulled off at the next exit, and he followed me, so I edged over to the side of my lane again, and he pulled up beside me and slowed to match my speed. The side window jerked down and three sets of eyes burned at me from shrouded heads. I matched their gaze, looking into the driver's eyes, gently shook my head in disbelief and smiled one of those "I can't believe you're so stupid", pitying smiles.

That's when they started throwing insults and paper coffee cups out their window at me, and jerking the truck dangerously close to pushing me off the road. I pulled into a service station and waited for them to move on, almost daring them to pull up, but hoping they would just continue on, which they did, their bullying done for one day.

I sat there, fuming, incensed and enraged, replaying the whole experience over and over in my mind and planning what I would do if I was given another chance to meet up with them.

Now a few days later, I look at it differently. What I learned from this is "Don't let people or circumstances rob you of your joy: Stay in peace."

I don't know how accurate this may be, but I have noticed that many times when I seem to be at my highest, negative people will appear, almost magically, trying to knock me down to a lower spot. Then, when I have given them permission to do it and I tumble, they just disappear, leaving me frustrated, deflated and seeking revenge.

Does that sound familiar? Actually, I hope it doesn't. I hope that you are more in control than that.

I wanted to tell you this story today because, while it helped me realize that giving away my joy was easily done, I want more for you.

There are so many people out there who are more than willing to unload on you and take your joy. It wouldn't be so bad if, when they took it, they used it and became joyful themselves, but they seem to discard it and then they become more miserable in the process.

Joy is a funny thing. When it's taken from you, it's gone, but when it's willingly given, it multiplies. If we seek to hold on to our joy and hoard it all to ourselves, it soon becomes stale, but if we look for places to express it, it becomes much more than what we originally had. Joy is meant to be shared.

So, friends, this week, I'm going to ask you to do something: First of all, don't do what I did and let them steal your joy. Learn ways to maintain your good attitude and develop a habit of happiness that you are willing to share with others. Avoid the people who are negative: filter them out of your life. Recognize that if you want to remain joyful, you must be willing to give it away, and when you do, you'll soon discover that the best way to avoid someone stealing it is to give it.

Make this your most joy filled week ever.

Paul

© 2007 Paul Kearley CS, For 22 years, Paul Kearley has thrived in the personal development and coaching business. As a Master Coach for the past 10 years, Paul's passion is in developing and creating increased potential, and coaching people to create success.

A newspaper columnist, and editor for "E-Motion", his own weekly ezine, Paul writes articles that address the everyday challenges we all have and face in life and in business, and offers suggestions for success.

If you'd like to connect with Paul to discuss your personal or business strategies or to subscribe to "E-Motion", simply send an e-mail to carnegie@nbnet.nb.ca, visit http://www.mustthinking.com or call 506 433 4722.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Kearley

Teddy Bear

2008-02-21T18:25:00.003+01:00

I came across this story quite a while ago. When I read this story somewhere on the web, I was quite moved by it. But I didn't bookmark the site, so that was it. I didn't remember the title either, so I thought I'd lost it forever.

A couple days ago, I was on YouTube and found a video called "Teddy Bear". Since I am a big fan of these cuddly toys, I clicked it to watch.

Surprise, surprise!

It was nothing to do with the cuddly ones, but it was the story I was looking for!
It is a very heart warming story.
Watch it and enjoy it!

Five Lessons to Make You Think About the Way You Treat People

2008-02-18T18:18:00.002+01:00

This is not my original work, and you may have come across this one before.
Nevertheless, these lessons are timeless. There are 5 good stories/lessons about how we should treat other people, even if they are not so kind to you...

"Five Lessons to Make You Think About the Way You Treat People"

1.- First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz.
I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
'Absolutely, ' said the professor. 'In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'.

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11.30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s.
The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.

Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.
It read:

'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.'
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table.
A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked.
'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
'Thirty-five cents,' she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.
'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away.
The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table.
There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway.
Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.

Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came a long carrying a load of vegetables.
Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.

After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease.
Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying,
'Yes I'll do it if it will save her.'

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek.

Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice,
'Will I start to die right away?'.

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor;
he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

**********************

If you liked these stories, pass them on to people you love.

This is just for Technorati...

2008-02-17T15:33:00.001+01:00

Technorati Profile

Love's Philosophy

2008-02-14T17:11:00.003+01:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Love's Philosophy

The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix forever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by law divine
In one another's being mingle;--
Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another
No sister flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea;
What are all these kissings worth
If thou kiss not me?

- Love's Philosophy by Percy Shelley (1792-1822) -

The Sense of Wonder

2008-02-13T16:53:00.004+01:00

How colorless and tasteless this world would be if we lose our sense of wonder?

The sense of wonder is the key to open the door to the unlimited, creative world. It fuels us with inspiration, creativity and many, many possibilities. It's our sense of wonder which makes us progress and go forward.

It is sad that as we get older, very often we start living our daily life on autopilot.
Get up in the morning, have shower, have breakfast, go to the office, come home, watch TV and then go to bed. Many of us rarely notice the beautiful morning sunlight shining through the window when we get up, the color of fresh orange on the breakfast table, the song of a starling on the lamppost, the purple evening sky dotted with stars, and the coolness of the night air.....
The seeds of inspiration are always around us, but if we get desensitized, we cannot see them even if they are sitting right in front of our eyes.
Keeping the sense of wonder is, in other words, keeping a child-self within us.

Please never let the world become just a habit, and please keep your sense of wonder, your sense of appreciation to be intact all the time, and all the way through your life.

The world would be much more fun and joyful place if you do.

Healing Power of Portraits

2008-02-12T17:46:00.000+01:00

Using arts in medicine has the overwhelming power of healing... That's the message from this short video clip.

While doing a portrait series on patients at a British hospital, Mark Gilbert noticed the medicinal effect of having one's portrait done.

Here's a quote from "The Healing Power of Art" symposium article;

Gilbert discussed the healing power he felt from watching the patients be healed by the artwork. He said that at first he was skeptical of the possibility of the portraits being therapeutic. "I was hugely aware that I was working with people during the most traumatic moments of their life," he said. He also said that the most rewarding part of his work was his skepticism being proved wrong because "for everyone I painted the experience was a universally positive experience."

Abundance and the Law of Attraction

2008-02-11T15:52:00.000+01:00

Have you got 6 minutes to spare?
Good!
Then watch this video of "abundance" & "the law of attraction". If you had enjoyed watching "The Secret" or "What the Bleep Do We Know?", you'll enjoy it.

Are You Committing Spiritual Suicide?

2008-02-07T15:07:00.000+01:00

I was feeling a bit depressed today, then I came across this article.
It's very interesting. As I was reading, I kept thinking "Yeah, that's right. I was committing spiritual suicide..."
Please read it through, and ask yourself; "Am I committing spiritual suicide as well?"

********************************

I first heard the term “spiritual suicide” used by motivational speaker, Les Brown.
What is spiritual suicide and how do you know if you’re committing it?

It is the killing of that part of oneself that is associated with the feelings and the mind as well as the killing of real meaning or significance in one’s life. So, as Mr. Brown so eloquently put it, if you are not doing work that is meaningful to you or being the person you were truly meant to be, then you are committing spiritual suicide.

What are some of the signs to look for?
Ask yourself some of the following questions:

Do you hate getting out of bed everyday? At your job, do you look at the clock every 5 minutes, wishing the workday would hurry up and be over so you can go home? Do you live for the weekend and your 2 (or more) weeks of vacation? Do you engage in any of the following self-destructive behaviors in order to escape or numb yourself?

Excessive TV watching

Overeating (how well I know this one!)

Drug and/or alcohol abuse

Sexual addiction

Excessive spending

Contemplating Suicide

Why are you committing spiritual suicide? Only you can answer that. I was committing it because for years I wanted to be a writer. But I only wanted to write fiction, which is my passion. But it’s hard to make a living just writing fiction (unless you make it big). I guess that’s why my parents weren’t supportive of the idea. So, for more than 30 years, I used food to numb my disappointed feelings for not doing the work I felt I was meant to do.

If you are committing spiritual suicide, what can you do to stop? First, admit that you are not happy. Second, start planning a strategy to help you become the person you were meant to be. And then, it is my hope that you are finally able to do the work that is truly meaningful to you.

Copyright 2002-2006 Dolores G. Wix All Rights Reserved

About the Author:
Dolores G. Wix is a professional copywriter and Abundance Advisor. Sign up for her free report “How to Develop An Abundant Mentality” by visiting her web site at www.fertilegroundpublishing.com

Plant Spirit Medicine

2008-02-06T19:23:00.000+01:00

I had been exploring the healing power of plants for some time when I came across this book.
We were on holiday in Hawaii, completely submerged in the beautiful energy of the island.
We were wandering around the town and then walked into this small but somewhat attractive bookshop.

As I was walking through a narrow aisle, suddenly a book jumped out of a shelf.
It landed on the floor right in front of me, so quite naturally, I picked it up.
The title of the book was "Plant Spirit Medicine".
First, I though this to be an ordinary herbal medicine book, but no, no, it was nothing like that.

I purchased the book, went back to the apartment and I started reading it.
I truly couldn't tear myself away from this book until it was so necessary!

The author, Eliot Cowan, shares his experiences in communicating with plant spirits and also tells us how to collaborate
with spirits to heal and transform illness into health.
It's not one of those "in-your-face" books nor "just-treat-symptoms-and-forget-about-what-really-coused-this-illness"
ideas. He reveals the method which he used to communicate with plant spirits, and encourage readers to try it as well to
get in touch with the nature intelligence to heal at the deepest and most fundamental level.
He makes plant spirit medicine something that everyone can do.
This book will give you great insights on plants and healing.

If you are interested in the nature, plants, herbalism, spiritual world, health or just want to read a good book, I
recommend that you read this book. You wouldn't be disappointed.

Mother Earth

2008-02-03T14:41:00.000+01:00

As I was talking to my husband over coffee, I suddenly remembered a dream I had over 10 years ago.
I was having a quite bad fever then, and feeling absolutely awful in bed.

In that dream, I was the Earth. I was this planet and the Mother Nature.
Through eons, I had seen many civilizations come and go. Some, the gentle kinds, lived in harmony with me (Earth) and took only what they needed. Some, the ones with more advanced technology, kept spreading all over, destroying the perfect natural balance and contaminating my body, in result, themselves as well.
None of these civilizations lasted long though, at least in my term.
A civilization would sprout and flourish but always disappeared in the end and left me in peace for a while until the other one came about.

These times in between the human occupations were my healing periods. The more the technology was advanced, the more severe damage they brought on me.
So during these quiet periods, I would go through some painful, exhausting process to purify myself from all the poisons humans had injected into me.
By the time I got healed, usually another civilization would bud out on my rejuvenated land.

You might think that I had a hostile feeling toward these habitants. But no, not at all.
Only a neutral feeling existed there. Toward the humans who were so arrogant and careless, toward the damage they caused, toward the pain during the purifying phase I had to go through, there were only neutrality and nothing else.
Whatever happened to me, there only existed a great acceptance inside me...

Waking up in the morning still feeling weak from a fever, I thought over what I had dreamt about - the experience I had gone through.
Was it a dream? Yes.
But, was it just a dream? .....I'm not so sure.

After all these years, I still remember it very clearly in detail.
Somewhat I feel like that I managed to capture a fragment of a great consciousness.