A New Gift from an Old Memory

Every now and then we are not thinking about the past. In fact we are right square in the now and feeling peaceful and serene when out of the blue something from the past comes in to say Hello. For me it came in the form of a male cousin who I have not seen or spoken to since I was about 15. I am 61 now and the memories came flooding back of spending a few summers at their place in Salem, Virginia.

They lived in the mountains in a very isolated rural area at the base of a mountain with a creek running through their property. There was one of those corner gas and grocery stores that looked as though it had seen better days. I went there several times. There were 4 children in my aunt Lucys house and 5 in ours. There was always someone going to the store for bread or something so a group of us would walk there. It was two miles away. So a 4 mile round trip was pretty common on almost a daily basis. When we got there...there were ALWAYS a couple of real old guys sitting on the steps "Jawing" as they called it. It is a country word for talking.

It was a carefree summer with no worries and I was slowly waking up to myself as a person. Even back then I was a people watcher. I would talk to them a little. I can hear as clear as a bell how one old guy would always say, "I stopped for a pop and Jawing." I remember thinking that this was a long time ritual for them and how many hours had they spent doing this.

Days were spent walking the creek. It was spectacular back there. Ice cold water running over slate rock and mica. My youngest brother caught a fish with his hands during those long peaceful days. I thought he was going to wet his pants with excitement when he came into the house clutching this small trout. I thought that was way cool! We picked berries and spent time at a rare commodity for a rural area...a public swimming pool. At 15 in my red two piece bathing suit, I did not lack for company.

This time the memories found me and I invited them in to play in my mind and I saw all the blessings that flowed during that time in my youth. I let go of all the so-called bad things and viewed with my spiritual eyes all the wonderful things that happened.Perception Is Everything.

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This time I just left the memories flow and was viewing them off the scale differently. My perception completely changed and it felt so good.

A Rampage of Simplicity

Rev. Diannia Baty
A RAMPAGE OF SIMPLICITY

The last time I filled my car with gas it cost me over $70.00! That is a lot of money any way you look at it. Gas is now hovering close to go over $4.00 a gallon. Really!
The last time I went to the grocery store and brought home one bag of normal groceries, nothing spectacular it was over $40.00 and that was wit...h coupons. Without coupons it would have cost almost $60.00. That means on a normal day of filling up the car and buying one bag of food I spent over $100.00.

I am blessed that most of my work is done from my home. I do not have to commute. We have also started a garden and we are storing seeds. I am going to learn to can foods and we have a food dehydrator! I do a lot of cooking in my great kitchen so eating out is a treat, not the norm. I remember going to my grandmothers house as a girl and seeing shelves lined with canned goods in her basement all from her garden. She told me that getting her hands dirty and breaking a sweat with a garden made her feel so close to God.

I try to remain aware of how and when I run my errands and plan accordingly. Anything that has to be dry cleaned is being given away. It is an un-necessary expense. There are so many ways we waste money without thinking about it.

I am easily entertained by reading, writing and listening to music. I keep an eagle eye on my life to see where I can cut back and be more efficient. I refuse to be a victim of this economy. I am pro-active!

What I am trying to say here is our world is changing and we have to change with it if we want to be in control of our life. We must make changes where changes can be made and trim back the excess! As a nation we have become spoiled by stuff. We have way too much stuff and excess in our lives. Technology is ruining us and ruling our lives. It is time to get back in touch with your essence and your loved ones. I know couples who have arguments by texting each other!

I am calling for a rampage of simplicity. I am sending out a sirens call to make your life a more viable real thing and to get back to the roots of Spiritual Consciousness. At our core we are good loving beings worthy of a wonderful life
but we have to participate and be present to the changes.

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WHAT DO YOU CRAVE?

Rev. Diannia Baty
WHAT DO YOU CRAVE?
This life is short and is calling you. Answer that call with bravery and self-honesty. If we live the life that is no longer resonating with us, we are lying to ourselves and everyone around us. We are helping no one, though we might think we are. We cannot live for, or change anyone around us, but we certainly can f...or ourselves. When you let yourself be the person who you really crave to be, then your vibrations and personal presence will be altered greatly, and what you are you will attract. This means that through these actions, you will then attract the right mate, career, and opportunities that serve your higher self. Abandon listlessness, apathy and stagnation. "You" are waiting for you to discover yourself.

You are stuck to nothing and no one. We are all given free will. If we did not have free will then life would be boring indeed because we'd all be living the same life, making the same choices with the same outcome. Now use it!

If you want your life to change, start by changing yourself. If we stay who we currently are, then all we'll accomplish is recreating the life we already have. Profound changes in life start with profound changes of self. This would be no different than asking to see a different face in the mirror. Life is but a reflection of us and our thoughts about ourselves!
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Powerul soothing music...

Are you sure you have the right person?

There’s no greater blessing than to be a vehicle for Spirit.
And yet the ego fights it and resists it, asking, Why me?
Why me, and why this life?
"I am not worthy yet!"
You picked the wrong person, God, I am not a good choice.
...
We get frightened and back away from the very thing we crave,
from the very thing that will change our lives
into that which we desire so much.
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Just Say Thank YOU!

I 'm Sorry!
These words are so overused. I am so aware of how many times this is used in any given conversation by women in particular. My cousin used to do this constantly and I brought it to her attention. Ladies, bring this into your awareness and if you are doing this ...stop it!
Also if I gave her a gift or did something special for her...she would say,
"oh, you didn't have to do that."
I told her I did things because I wanted to not because I felt I had to.
I taught her just to say, "Thank you."
How did we get to the point where we apologize for everything and don't even realize we are doing it and why is it so hard to accept a gift, a compliment or a kindness?
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Spiritual Bounty In A Box!

Rev. Diannia Baty
Spiritual Bounty In A Box!

The next time you are around someone who is putting together a shelving unit or something similar that comes in a box, take the time to really observe them. It will tell you a lot where they are on their path. It will also tell you the same thing about yourself. I used to absolutely abhor this activity. It wa...s very frustrating for me. Now, I am not bothered at all.

I read the instructions thoroughly after unpacking everything making sure all the parts are there before I proceed. Sometimes just opening the box itself comes with instructions. Then I just start.
Step 1 and so on.

If frustration is present at any point, I step away from it and do something else for a bit and go back to it. It usually is smooth sailing from there. I can tell from this one activity how much I have grown spiritually. I do not allow frustration to take over. For most of us the norm is to just keep on getting more frustrated until we screw it up somehow and have to take apart something we just put together. It is not uncommon to see some people have a temper tantrum with this activity. We may have tried to skip steps and ignore the book of instructions that may be five pages long. Then the cherry on the top of this particular cake is we blame the manufacturer or the manual that we only glanced at etc. I think you get the picture.

What I am saying here it is time to hold ourselves big time accountable and take responsibility and using due diligence really take our spiritual learning and practices seriously.

When you lay out all the parts of your life and take inventory...is there a vital piece or two missing? If there is, this plane ain't going to fly.
Is the box packed up as tightly as the day you got it covered in dust in the garage of the mind somewhere?
Our world is evolving and so are we,
so get out your spiritual tool box and get busy!
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