Daily Reminder, # 4

You are an earthly angel, just as you are, no training required, just kindness. It doesn't require grand deeds or great cathedrals to change the world. A compassionate gesture from a fellow human conveys more of any spiritual teachings than the lofty words of a dozen preachers. "Even as you have done it unto the least of these..." is not just pretty words; it is Capital "t" Truth. A dozen quiet, even unrecognized small deeds may have more impact on the world than a truckload of formalized "goodness." Sometimes we are so busy trying to become something, that we don't realize we are already there.

Years ago I read a book called HUMAN OPTIONS by a wonderful teacher and philosopher named Norman Cousins. The book is a collection of his own thoughts and quotes of great thinkers and doers of history. One of my favorites is this one of his own:

Compassion is not quantitative. Certainly it is true that behind every human being who cries out for help there may be a million or more equally entitled to attention. But this is the poorest of all reasons for not helping the person whose cries you hear. Where, then, does one begin or stop? How to choose? How to determine which one of a million sounds surrounding you is more deserving than the rest? Do not concern yourself in such speculations. You will never know; you will never need to know. Reach out and take hold of the one who happens to be nearest. If you are never able to help or save another, at least you will have saved one. To help put meaning into a single life may not produce universal regeneration, but it happens to represent the basic form of energy in a society. It also is the test of individual responsibility.

A few things I'm grateful for today:

• Norman Cousins
• sunshine and cool breezes
• the ability to walk even though I wobble. (Raven wobbles but she doesn't fall down)
  
  
  
  Have a Great Day.....
  And feel your wings... they are real!

Daily Reminder, # 3

Look for the positives that surround you and bless them with your attention and gratitude.

There are so many small (and not so small) wonders around us if we remember to look for them: a bumble bee, a flower, a blue sky, the smell of rain or a cup of coffee. Or maybe a smile from a friend or stranger, the laughter of a child, the face of your cat, the song of a bird. Then there are miracles like a glass of water ready at hand, a microwave oven.... I could go on and on. The point is to make the conscious effort to bless the wonders you see. The Hawaiians say "energy flows where attention goes." What we focus on we draw to us. Pay attention to what's wrong in your day and it will wrap itself around you in a dark hug. Look over it's shoulder for a thing of beauty, something that's right... and the darkness will slink quietly away without you even noticing it. That is the way of things if we only remember.

A few things I am grateful for today:

my windows and the view from my desk

netflix and the invention of the DVD

music

Have a Wonderful Day!

The Daily Reminder #2

(Please scroll down for the Weekly Wordzzle Challenge)


Today's Reminder:

No matter the circumstances you are in, find the place of Love. That is the Soul's Home. It is all that matters. The surroundings - be they beautiful, ugly, peaceful, distressed - are like temporary decorations and mean nothing in the Divine Scheme. The heart is home. Love is Home. Open your heart to love (giving and receiving both). Know that you are Love. You are Home.

This is my friend's dog, Josie.

I think today's reminder came from her.

She's not feeling too well and

her human is worried about her.

Prayers for them both would be much appreciated.

A few things I'm grateful for today:

An abundance of clean water for drinking and bathing

Laughter

email (well some email....)

Tara Grace being a "Place of Love"

Have a wonderful holiday weekend here in the States

and a wonderful regular weekend elsewhere.

Weekly Wordzzle Challenge: Week 111

Is anybody else having weird blogger problems? While I was trying to write this, it was literally saving almost every other word... And now I can only access one post at a time, not the whole blog.... Just me or...?

This is week 111 of the Weekly (previously known as the Saturday) Wordzzle Challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. Oops... the mini had six words! Sorry about that. Really sorry. I'm having a terrible time getting anything written this week. Sorry about posting late too... This was one of the toughest collections of words I've come up with in a long time... especially with an extra one!

This week's 10 word challenge is:

clam chowder, chapter and verse, mega sale, arguably, tribe, shake a leg, platform, smelly shoes, gray hair, dangling participle

For the mini: gone fishing, privacy, noticeable, customary, tooth ache, disposable

The 10-word:

It was Super Duper Mart's annual mega sale and the store was packed and noisy. As she was pulling a dozen cans of her favorite clam chowder off the shelf, Charity Johnson was startled by a voice directly behind her." Hey you, with the smelly shoes...Shake a leg." She turned around to see arguably the ugliest - and possibly the strangest - human being on the planet. He had long gray hair that was randomly streaked with pink and green, a large, bulbous nose, and a pair of glasses that magnified eyes that were two different colors. He wore a green hat that said "Chapter and Verse" on the brim, purple platform shoes, orange and green striped leggings and a t-shirt that said Dangling Participle Tribe. "Dad, you miserable dead beat!" she gasped... "I should have known you'd show up for the mega sale!"

The mini:

The swelling from Nate Wilson's tooth ache was noticeable even given the customary puffiness of what is wife referred to - much to his dismay since she did not limit her exuberance to the privacy of their own home, but felt a need to gush it out in every conceivable and humiliating circumstance possible - as his "adorable chipmunk cheeks". As a consequence of this, his ego had long ago gone fishing, so to speak, but fortunately his sense of humor, his self esteem and his lover for his wife remained in tact. He did on occasion wish that he had enough disposable income to take his cheeks to a plastic surgeon, but Helen was against it and now it seemed like the dentist was going to get any extra money they had in their bank account... and that was the case even though their dentist was Helen's cousin Jim. Speaking of Jim.... the door opened and a voice called... "c'mon in, Chip." It was going to be a long day.

The maxi:

Paula Platform pulled the disposable camera out of her pocket and snapped some tourist photos of the reservation, trying not to be too noticeable. Frank and the boys had gone fishing, trying to capture the spirit of the place without violating anyone's privacy. Looking around at the terrible poverty of the place, she decided to spend every penny she had at the Tribal gift shop's mega sale. How dreadful it must be, she thought, to have it be customary for some gray haired stranger like herself, sweaty clothes and smelly shoes wandering around your home observing you like you were a zoo specimen or an exhibit at a museum. Arguably, tourist trade was a source of income, but still... she wished she had a platform to express her distress... it nagged at her like a tooth ache or a dangling participle. She was a kind and passionate woman and this kind of poverty - and the history behind it - violated everything - chapter and verse - that she believed in. She hated that the only thing she knew to do to fix it - buying souvenirs - was part of the very thing she claimed to deplore. In the midst of this internal battle, she glanced at her watch. "Oh dear, I'd better shake a leg. Time to meet Frank and the boys at that clam chowder restaurant everyone was raving about at the hotel. She would have to save the world tomorrow.

***********

Words for next week's 10-word challenge are: carpenter ants, freak, good as new, jelly beans, olive oil, scamper, champion, goose egg, pizza, ceiling fan

For the mini: gravity, variable, swinging on a star, gardening, trombone

Thanks for playing. For those who are new, here are some guidelines to make the process more fun.

Enjoy! See you next week!

DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR

NAME TO MR. LINKY!!!!!