Monday, June 28, 2010

Missing Carolyn


Missing Carolyn


My first cousin Carolyn is not on the earth physically any longer and the dog she is holding is my dog Tana and she is not here any longer either. I remember the day I took this photo on a crisp fall day walking in the woods together talking about life and how much we loved each other. We were six months apart in age and I would take regular trips to North Carolina to visit her. I finally ended up moving here just over five miles away from her and I am so glad I did that. I loved being with her. She was my best friend in every way that word can be said. She was always there for me and never judged me…she just loved me and I loved her.

On this particular day I fried chicken and cooked all the trimmings for a Sunday dinner complete with mashed potatoes. Carolyn loved my cooking and I was only
too happy to cook for her. It was a great southern meal with all the trimmings. I have so many memories of her. We loved to go on road trips together and sing, talk and listen to music and basically act like two teenagers together. Thrift store shopping and garage sales were adventures to find the ultimate buy of the day. Most of all we just loved being together and we talked on the phone every single day with few exceptions.

The bottom line is cancer took her away from us and she suffered terribly. I miss her laughter and her funny sneezes. I miss our conversations and her hugs. I miss all of it with a fierceness that takes my breath away sometimes. She has been gone for a few years now and I bring her back in my memories frequently. She had a very hard life and a hard death and now her suffering is over. I told her often how much I loved her and I wonder if she knew just how much I did? She was a fine person, honest and sweet and very giving…too giving sometimes but that was just the way she was.

When she knew that she was not going to be the victor in the cancer battle she asked me why God did this to her and I told her God did not do this. I reminded her that God was always there and told her about the light and how beautiful it would be where she was going. It seemed to bring her some peace.
I can feel her very close today. I wish she was here so I could cook some of her favorite things for her and hear her laugh again but for now I will have to listen with my heart.

I am reminded that to love is to risk loss. I ask myself the question if I would have passed up loving anyone I have lost in this life so I could bypass the pain of loss and the answer is a firm NO. Each time I have loved and lost, it was totally worth it no matter the circumstances.

Dying is the easy part. Living is the hard part. We have it backwards when we think that dying is hard and living is easy. Carolyn was a person to admire and had more friends then she even knew she had. She impacted so many people and she never had a clue. She downplayed everything she did by saying that she was just doing what was right and centered in God.

I know she lives on in spirit and someday I will be with her where she is today and I am always with her in my heart. I will not defile her memory by remaining sad and full of grief. I will honor her in every way I can by being happy, joyful and living a full life. And by doing what is right and staying centered in God. This is just something to think about.

This is about Unity


This is all about unity!

What is going on in the outside of our world is reflecting back to us what we need to do to change things.
All of the bleeding of this earth is to point out to us where we may be bleeding in our life.

For too long we have been isolated from each other. Many of us do not know our neighbors that have lived close to us for years. We see something that has happened elsewhere like hurricanes, floods, fires and the like and say to ourselves how horrible and may be secretly glad it did not happen to us. We hear about people losing their homes and the threats come a bit closer yet still we are isolated because the threat is not at our door.

We know we should recycle and volunteer somewhere but we don't because we are too busy and we secretly think that someone else will step forward. We know we should think as we buy and use products but we don't because we are too busy. We know we should give our spouses, friends and children more attention but we don't because we are too busy and think that someday when things are less busy it will be a better time for that. We know we should give to the food banks but we don't because we are too busy and after all charity begins at home...doesn't it?

When all seems to be lost and we are deep in the trenches and the horrible tragedies are on our steps, it is people we will turn to. To put some clarity back into our lives we must reconnect with the earth and all the people on this world. To put some balance into our spirit we must be aware and present to what is going on and help when we can. To put some spiritual water back into our soul we must reconnect with the creator. If you feel dry inside, you know what to do. Most of all we MUST pray and our cups will be replenished and we need to do this today, this minute before it is not a matter of the cup being half full or half empty. We must do this before the cup of life is empty.

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http://wayovertherainbow.blogspot.com/
http://godsspiritletters.blogspot.com/
http://hectorscaninedogma.blogspot.com/

Sunday, June 27, 2010

A TRIP FOR MY SOUL.


A Trip For My Soul

I have been feeling the call to visit the deeper part of nature for a while. It is the one thing that will renew and refresh me more than anything I can do. There is so much going on in the world that is negative and frightening that no matter where you go or what you do you are being bombarded with information about it.

I took a day trip into the mountains of North Carolina for the day armed with a camera and a picnic lunch and a new friend who also loves nature. I call these trips my adventures. I have become comfortable with the winding roads so driving was a breeze. All along the way were flowers in bloom and towering trees. Every now and then I would cross over a stream or a river. Up in elevation I went ears popping as I got higher. The air started to smell sweeter and earthy with life at its finest. First stop was Linville Falls. Hiking down the trail to the waterfalls was filling up my spirit with the beauty around me and the verdant growth was greeting me as an old friend. I could hear the water sounds getting louder and I could feel the quickening of my heart. All along the way were ferns, mushrooms growing on some moss covered logs and the dense smell of evergreens. I spotted mandrake, wild strawberries and violets and tiny flowers called forget-me-nots. Down the steep walk over the rocks and then the falls rushing over and spilling down a gorge carving the way down to a place you couldn't see. It mattered not as my imagination filled in the blanks for me. All along the trail I greeted my fellow hikers and petted their dogs and one hiker handed me her walking stick as a gift on my way back. Gifts come from many sources.

At the falls my spirit soared as I drank in what was all around me. The sound of the falls was soothing and spoke to my cells with their healing balm. Soon after many photos it was time to go but reluctantly because I could have stayed there for days.

Back on the road and on to a place called Grandfather Mountain. The road became steeper and more winding and the vistas of the mountains reminded me that mother nature is always in charge. I felt tiny.
A sense of Oneness came over me at some point and I knew that I was a part of the grand design. It filled me with peace and excitement. The air became cooler and more refreshing. Each and every time I take a trip into the mountains it is as if I am seeing them for the first time. It is always new to me.

On this mountain is a bridge that is a mile high and the winds are strong sometimes a gust of up to sixty mph are recorded. On this day it was about 30 mph, brisk and strong. I saw a hawk flying on the updrafts effortlessly and so free. I was envious for a moment.

I had packed a wonderful picnic lunch of Brie cheese, cherries, rice crackers, asparagus, boiled eggs, chicken and tomatoes. We were fortified and satisfied with our goodies before we hiked again. We drank sweet well water and satisfied our thirst.

At one point I asked my companion the question that had occurred to me, "do you think that when we were told to be fruitful and multiply it meant 60 billion of us?"

I thanked God at the end of this glorious day for everything I had seen, heard and tasted. I was grateful that I can hike with little difficulty and had a good camera to record the memories. I was grateful for my bed that holds me gently and lulls me into deep sleep. I sent prayers out for the earth and everyone who is suffering out there in any way. I prayed for peace and to be able to continue to enjoy this planet in all its glory and that it continues for generations to come.

My spirit is renewed today and I have hope that as the divine beings that we are we discover God in more profound ways than ever before.

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http://wayovertherainbow.blogspot.com/
http:godsspiritletters.blogspot.com/
http://hectorscaninedogma.blogspot.com/

Sunday, June 20, 2010

The House Of The Soul



The House Of The Soul.


If your deepest and most sacred place were a house, what would it look like? Would it be full of life and energy or would it look empty and lonely? Would hope and love be present or would fear bar the door?
Would be windows be dusty or would they be clear as pure water?

The soul is the inner house that abides everlasting and eternal. It is up to you what you put in the rooms and how you maintain it. This is one of the many mansions that is spoken of.

This is where the God of your heart resides and waits for you. The fire that flares up from time to time is the heat of God's presence calling you to go within and BE STILL. If the house needs repair God is waiting to help you bring it back to life.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010


Is what we want to be in alignment with who we need to be in order to be who we want to be?
Think about it!

UnPlug!


Unplug from the world for a while...no tv, no internet...no cell phone... Just music, your family, mother nature and God



In order to connect back with humanity you have to leave the electronic world.
You won't find what you are seeking at the end of a mouse or in that thing you talk into all the time.
You won't find joy watching a screen for hours.

Have you become a computer addict?
If you are honest with yourself. then you know
the answer to that.

Do you talk on your cell phone during meals
while you are with a live breathing person
that you ignore.

Has the cell gone off at inappropriate times?

Have you had some near misses while driving because of the cell phone, blackberry and hot coffee etc. in your hand?

Have you had a fight with a loved one because of all your gadgets and toys?

When did you meditate or pray or do you at all.

Put aside one day...just one day to reconnect with yourself
and while you are at it...tell God Hello!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Chat with Rev. Diannia Baty on The Spiritual Missing Link to The Law of Attraction

Chat with Rev. Diannia Baty on The Spiritual Missing Link to The Law of Attraction

For All the worriers out there! Surrender!


THIS IS FOR ALL YOU WORRIERS OUT THERE!

Rev. Lady Diannia Baty © 2009

There are so many of you that are suffering, confused, scared and worried. The changes that are taking place in our world are a bit over the top. I am aware of that and I am not suggesting a Pollyanna approach to life. It is not my intent that you pick daisies while the mountain is spitting fire. I think it is more important in these times for everyone to come to know how their mindsets affect their lives. Most people are conditioned to worry and this leads to confusion, suffering and fear. I have been asked how I remain so calm and unruffled.


The answer is because I choose to.

Yesterday I received the news that a brother has been diagnosed with bone cancer in his arm. It is advanced. When I heard it I was not surprised as I do know that illness is a part of life and so is death. One of my other brothers has been out of work for months. A friend of mine is about to lose her home. The list goes on. If I were to worry about all of this I would be a basket case. There is just no point to worry. Worry takes away peace in a heart beat and shoves it into the darkest recesses of your mind.

Worry is something you start to share with everyone you meet when they ask how you are and even when they don’t. If you are miserable you spread it around like the flu and no one wants to catch the flu. There is an old saying about how misery loves company. This is what it means. Are you spreading a lot of misery around? I would rather you bring me a smile and a positive attitude. You can still share what is going on with you. Just do it in a different way. Give me hope not hardship.

Have you considered that when you start heaping all of your life woes on others and whine about what are you going to do about it that you are making them feel terrible too? Pretty soon they share with you all of their troubles and you both feel worse instead of better. Would you like a little cheese with that whine?



Thank you, the world just got a little gloomier because
you wanted to share your misery!
Pain is inevitable. Misery is optional. The winds of adversity blow on everyone’s head. We all get a hole in our boat so to speak and the best thing to do when that happens is to bail water. Looking at the rising water and worrying about it is not the ticket to dry feet or dry land.

Your thoughts have intense energy even when you aren’t articulating them. When you take a thought and wrap it in emotion you have increased the energy of it. When you put words on it, it becomes the most powerful of all. Sent out into the universal energy soup it becomes something that attracts right back to you what you are putting out. This is the law of attraction at work.

If you have been a worrier for a long time, it has become a habit and habits can be broken. Just become aware of your thoughts. If you identify your thoughts as worry then put a different twist on it. For every worried thought replace it with something you are blessed with. Be grateful for something instead. Just keep doing this every time you are worried about something. Do it consistently for twenty one days. Why twenty one days? Research shows that if something is done for approximately twenty one days it becomes a habit. The habit of gratitude will replace the habit of worry. As far as I am concerned a gratitude habit is a far better habit to have.

My mother was a master of worry. We used to say to each other not to worry about something because our mother would do the worrying for us.
By the way, most people in your life will stop sharing things with you because they don’t want you to worry about it. Have you noticed that even when some good news is shared with you that you will still find something to worry about? Is this really how you want people to perceive you? Ask people around you if they see you as a chronic worrier? If the answer is yes then make some changes. My point is that is is perfectly fine to share with another your burdens and your concerns but it is not okay to do this as a lifestyle. You know if you are a chronic worrier or not. Imagine that you start turning this around and then imagine that your days are peaceful and calm. Imagine that all your relationships are changing for the better. You will notice that people are gravitating toward you and not away from you.

God never meant for you to suffer this way. There are far better things to do with your thoughts and far more beautiful ways to empower yourself and others. Worry does no good! Taken to the extreme this negative emotion can make you very ill and possibly kill you. The chemicals your brain is releasing into the body from worry is debilitating and is feeding your cells some nasty stuff. Ever heard of cortisol? It is produced by stress. It causes a lot of serious health issues. If you are a chronic worrier you more than likely have chronic fatigue. I encourage you to goggle the word cortisol and find out for yourself what you are doing to your health and make some big changes.

If you think that worry is nothing to worry about, think again.

Worry also muffles Gods voice and presence in your consciousness. Maybe God is sending you the answers and the guidance you so desperately need but you don’t recognize it or hear it. You are too busy worrying. I imagine God got call waiting.

I implore you to take this seriously. The world and your family need you whole and peaceful. This is just something for you to think about. God wants you to soar and not wear the lead boots of worry.
Worry says in part that you do not trust that God is there for you. Worry sends the message that you refuse to give over your suffering and pain to your Source.

Now I ask you, if I were to tell you that there is a way you can put an end to being a chronic worrier easily and derive overwhelmingly good benefits from it, would you take it? I can feel you nodding your head "yes." The answer is SURRENDER! Get your Websters Dictionary out and look up that word too!
SURRENDER!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Chat with Rev. Diannia Baty on The Spiritual Missing Link to The Law of Attraction

Chat with Rev. Diannia Baty on The Spiritual Missing Link to The Law of Attraction
June 14th...click for details.

This is just fascinating!


The universe is incredible and what is out there for us to learn from boggles the mind!
God is in the details!

What you are seeking you already have.


In all the teachings in many thousands of years you will hear this over and over again and that is to go within, into the stillness and be quiet to know God. This is really not just a suggestion.

You Are Not Alone.


YOU ARE NOT ALONE! STOP THINKING THAT WAY. LOOK AROUND YOU. WAKE UP.

Today at 9:48am
There is evidence of the divine in every square inch of your life. There are incredible things happening in your life. Are you being present to it or are you letting your life live you instead of living your life? To think that you are alone in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary is cutting you off from
" Source." Feel the presence of the most high. Live with God in your heart. If you want blessings then become a blessing to others.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

This Sunday at Unity Church...June 6th 2010...She was on fire!



What I am talking about is Rev.Julie. She was seriously talking about one of the commandments.
You know, the one that says to love thy God with all of your heart and to love your neighbor that way too!

At one point her eyes were wet with emotion. It is hard to read her sometimes as she tries very hard to stay focused and she has a lot to do! I totally understand this. It seems that each week gets busier but it is all going in a forward direction. Well,to get back to my point...she was so impassioned in what she said. I love her style. It is like come on guys, it is time to get this.

Spiritual leaders and teachers all feel it. What we are feeling is "times a wasting."
There is a big wind coming and we have to be spiritually centered. This wind of change is not something to be ignored. The present universal energy is magnifying everything in your life experience. The ante is being upped so to speak.

You know that what I am saying is true. You can't deny this any longer.

I speak and teach every time I get an opportunity. I can only reach the world through one person at a time. That person tells another and so on. The ripple effect is always in force.
Rev. Julie, you were superb today and you made me sit up and pay closer attention. I was able to forget that my back ached and I was mesmerized! Thank you!

www.makeachoicenow.com
http://godsspiritletters.blogspot.com/
http://hectorscaninedogma.blogspot.com/

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Perfect Pitch...


Our brains are evolving into an incredible tool. Such knowledge is available to us.

Compassion!


Firefighters, rescue workers, hospice volunteers and people like this are true heroes in my book. Hero people are everywhere. They are the people that dole out the
food at the soup kitchens and the elderly lady that knits blanket throws for all her family and friends. They are the people that rock the babies and save the whales, dogs and countless other creatures from death. What they all have is compassion and a need to serve in some way.

So just what is compassion and do you have it? First of all we all have it to some degree but some of us have pushed it down into the far corner of our human response. Compassion is a feeling, an emotion and an act of kindness. Humans are supposed to be more highly evolved than the animals but there are times when the animals have more compassion than we do. All over the world right now are countless stories about animals that are showing kindness and compassion to humans and other animals that are not even of their species. The creatures of the earth are showing the way to the shift in spiritual consciousness that is taking place.

It is time we stopped believing in our separateness and understood how one act of compassion can have a ripple effect across the entire planet.
So you may wonder how you can make a difference. All you have to do is be compassionate and kind to your fellow souls that are on this planet with you.
A smile can make a profound difference in someone’s life. Start spreading a few smiles around and it will not only transform your day but all you come into contact with. Before long you will start to take notice how you can be of service to something bigger than yourself.

The new earth is being born and we are all being reborn with it. Either get on board with the spiritual world that is emerging or get left behind. Old paradigms are dying away as they do not work and have not worked in a long time.
Every day in some way practice compassion and kindness. If you are depressed this is a great way to transform it. You don’t have to travel to the far corners of the earth to do this. Start where you are in any given moment and just remember to be kind.

It is time to remember that we are one. We have God’s energy and love running through our very cells and we need to be using it in a more aware way. It is no mistake that you are feeling emotions that you are uncomfortable with right now. Changes are on the horizon for all of us. The more uncomfortable it is the more you need to pay attention to what you are feeling.
The most important person you need to be compassionate with is yourself. What is it that you need to feel whole and peaceful?

We were created from love to be love personified. Where can you start and what can you do? The answer would be anything at all but do something to lift up the collective consciousness of our world every single day. Trust me there will be many opportunities to do so. We are not in this world alone.

When was the last time you had an opportunity to be kind and compassionate and didn’t do so? How did you feel when you didn’t follow through with helping someone? It might have been a stray animal that you didn’t feed that was so hungry and scared. It might have been that you were just too busy to go visit your mother in the nursing home and you knew she was expecting you. It could have been any number of things but the point is to find a way to be of service every single day. One day it could be you who are hungry and scared or in a nursing home. I think you get the picture. The smallest act of kindness will have a bigger impact then you will ever see but the after effect is extremely powerful and there never-the-less.


All of humanity needs to reconnect into our spiritual selves as it was meant to be.
This is just something to think about.

www.makeachoicenow.com
http://godsspiritletters.blogspot.com/
http://hectorscaninedogma.blogspot.com/

Bold seeker of truth!


Ever notice how people dread discussing the truth about life, spirituality or God? Their fear usually comes out as, "I never talk about that" or "Some things we're not supposed to know." Someone once told me that they didn’t see the point in talking about all that spiritual stuff. They quickly cut off any probing of who they are and why they're here.

How strange that people who are brave in everyday affairs tend to cringe and cower when asked to think about the reasons and powers behind their existence! Yet, what could be more urgent than to face your own reality? I used to be one of those people who did not want to explore the inner workings of myself and what made me tick but I was all too quick to try and figure out another person. Concentrating on someone else kept me from concentrating on me and my inner world.
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Humanity's spiritual jitters often stem from centuries of reliance on designated spokesmen who are said to be anointed or divinely appointed, or inspired, or trained in theology and who we are not allowed to question. Adding to our plight are society's cruel traditions of rewarding mass conformity and mocking original thinkers. Yet I ask you where would humanity be if it were not for original thinkers? We would most certainly be thinking that the world is still flat. The truth of the matter is that God talks to all of us in many different ways. God may communicate with a scientist for example by giving him a dream with a solution to an experiment. God speaks to a mother through her heart by giving her the feeling that she needs to check on her child suddenly. God may speak to a gardener by letting him know to hold off planting for another week. God communicates with me every day. You do not have to be ordained or anointed to hear God. Each and every one of us in special and chosen by God.
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This is a new day. Everyone has the right to know the secrets of the universe. Best of all is the stunning news that every person is capable of knowing the most awesome truths and the most loving principles. That includes you. God gave that right to access knowledge and communion to each and everyone of us. God also gave us free will and the right to make choices in our lives.

To make the leap from spiritual cry baby to bold seeker of truth requires self examination. In quiet moments you must ask yourself what you really believe. Be willing to tolerate question marks in your search till you find answers that are perfect for you even if it takes years and years. The search is sweeter than you can imagine. Remember that last time you learned something new that empowered you life? Your life changed in a profound way. It felt good. It might have been that you mastered learning to drive or passed that exam. Knowledge is power.
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Plunge your mind into the finest ideas ever put on paper, or spoken to you directly or through various communications and media, or overheard in conversations among strangers. Make it your business to become familiar with the noblest thoughts of any age, any writer or speaker and any culture. Seek and you will find. Go to seminars. Attend meetings of “New Age Thinking”, spiritual teachers and healers and find out for yourself what is going on instead of mocking something you have absolutely no knowledge of. Transformational and inspiring teaching is going on every day somewhere. If it doesn’t sit well with you then move on and keep seeking and learning. It will not be wasted time. It will not be in vain. When you are doing this kind of seeking your inner voice will guide you to and away from whatever is necessary. Trust this.


No finer hobby could be found than to gather the wisdom of the world around you. There is tons of literature just waiting to be tapped. There is philosophy, religion, psychology, self-growth, cellular biology, quantum physics, self-realization, spirituality and higher awareness, to name just a few. Wisdom comes in many flavors so to speak, poetry, theology, essays, scriptures, drama, comedy, satire, healing work, the arts and spiritual practices such as Gratitude, Meditation and Forgiveness. Read, study and check it all out for yourself. When I started studying, it became a hunger within to know more. The more I knew and understood the hungrier I was to learn more and more.

Test all spiritual concepts to see if they work for you. Let's say you've heard of something called the Inner Kingdom. Find out all you can about it, but more importantly make up your mind that if such a glorious kingdom exists, you intend to find it and claim it as your own. Sure, this is scary. Of course, you'll be tempted to give up along the way. Giving up should never be an option on your spiritual quest.

Be a tough critic of all you find no matter the glowing reputation or fame of the speaker or writer. Teach yourself to know the difference between myth and proof. Inch along, with tiny tasks and not so timid steps. Go forward, not backward. Be proud of your quest. I had no problem telling any person that I was on a spiritual journey. It felt good. I would share what I had learned if asked and well, the rest is history.

Finally, turn your search into success.
You don't want to be a self-help junkie reading your life away and never lifting your own heart and soul. After your investigation comes a time of grace when you rise above books and arguments. There comes a time when you put into practice all you have learned, then almost without you noticing something vital has changed within. When you do notice it means you are starting to really understand what you have learned and developed your own value system based on what you think not on what others tell you to think.

The time to just glide through life has come and gone. It is time to be bold. It is time to understand that prior conditioning and so called truths that you learned as a child may not be truth at all. It is time to sift the flour of your past. If something is absolutely not working…change it.
You respect all worthy ideas, learned or lowly, and see how uneducated words of insight ascend to the same literary heaven with equal standing as the thoughts and teachings of spiritual celebrities. You make peace with conflicting scholars, scientists and saviors. Standing atop the knowledge of the ages you add your own voice to the crowd with new words that are your contribution to the eternal quest. Each and every one of us has a voice and our own personal truth to add to the mixture of wisdom out there. God wants to hear your voice too! God desires every voice to ring boldly into the universe.
“It should be shared.”

What's the payoff? Is it worth all the trouble? After all to succeed means you probably have to spend periods of time alone to ponder the great issues of life. You have to deal with destiny one-on-one with nobody to hold your hand or go in your place. Peace is the pay-off. Fear is a rare visitor to your mental energy. God will catch you if you stumble. The biggest payoff will be when you share with someone how your life has changed and they start to become a bold seeker too!

Truth is the payoff and that may or may not pay the bills or eliminate your worries but it sure makes everything easier and sweeter. Truth is its own fantastic reward. You will know that when you find it. My parents used to tease us sometimes when we wanted to know something. They would say, “you’ll know someday.” So, I am saying you will know someday. Hang in there and be a bold seeker. In order to fully find something you must first seek. Knock and the door will be opened. Seek and you shall find. The day will come that you will be filled with a feeling that becomes normal for you. Enjoy it. It is called peace. God will bless you and you will know what Grace feels like. This is just something to think about.

www.makeachoicenow.com
http://godsspiritletters.blogspot.com/
http://hectorscaninedogma.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

This is a powerful talk for those hungry for information


This is a longer video over an hour so get a cup of tea and watch when you can not be interrupted as it deserves your attention. Watch it through to the end and then arrive to your own conclusions.