Giving back

Seventeen more days; school will be out and my part time job will end. Having extra money for the last 9 months has been a treat that happened because I was in the right place at the right time or perhaps I simply knew the right person. Whatever, my next move is giving back.

June will mark the third year of the children's writing camp that popped into my head one day. Since then many people in the form of helpers have come and gone. The camp still exists. This year I have a wonderful partner who is a retired elementary teacher. Although are backgrounds are different our goals are the same. We want to inspire children to express their creativity through the written word. We also want to make it fun and hopefully increase the self-esteem of the students.

This year we will be combining some of the things that worked best in the past with some new ideas. Nothing is too foreign to try. I really believe that everything has a voice. One just needs to learn to listen. I also believe that every single form of writing has one thing in common; it tells a story. I recently saw a picture of three letters written in the sand on a beach, which led to the rescue of several people. Of course, those letters were- S.O.S.

As a retired teacher, my partner has some ideas about writing that are her own. On the first day of camp she tells the children that she is happy to report that teachers have failed. With a gleam in her eye her message to the startled group is, "They have failed to teach out creativity". She also encourages them to use 50 cent words.

Offering this writing camp is really fun and the fact that we are volunteering our time only means that we are giving back.

Wayne Dyer live

I spent time this morning viewing a video on manifestation by Dr. Wayne Dyer. It was unusual for me to stay tuned in for an hour and a half, but it was worth it. As a result I ordered the Kindle version of his book Wishes Fulfilled.

One of the things that stood out from this video were the words "I AM" His suggestion that every time we use these words we are one with our higher power. I am well, pain free, grateful, peaceful are examples of manifesting positive, loving energy from our creator. When the words I Am Not are used it attracts just the opposite.

These same two words have in the past been important to me. A few years ago I shared the poem titled, I AM written by Helen Mallicoat. I would like to share it again as it seems appropriate.

I was regretting the past and fearing the future. Suddenly my Lord was speaking; "My name is I AM."

He paused. I waited. He continued, "When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not I WAS."

When you live in the future, with its problems and fears, it is hard. I am not there.My name is not I Will Be."

When you live in this moment it is not hard. I am here, My name is I Am."

P.S. This morning, while thinking about the offerings of Wayne Dyer in both the video I watched and in reading his book, Wishes Fulfilled, there was one phrase I just couldn't quite understand. That was I Am that I am. I had no problem accepting the idea that the creator is not up there somewhere, but resides as a divine spark inside every being that lives. What I didn't understand was the "that I am" part. Ask and thou shall receive. I found the exact explanation I needed to get it all while reading Dr. Dyer's book awhile ago.

"The I Am that I am is the you that is God.

We've always done it that way

I saw those words on facebook this morning and it made me laugh. I wonder how many times have I said or thought "we've always done it that way"?

This being Easter weekend I scanned back through past years when I did buy those words and followed suit right behind everyone else that I knew. The new clothes, coloring eggs, hot crossed buns, church services, family dinners and all the rest.

This year as in recent past years I didn't do it that way. Living with two cats and a dog for company causes one to be individually creative. Perhaps I just got tired of being a sheep.

On Good Friday a spirited friend suggested reading the book, A Million Steps by Karl Koontz. It is a first hand account of his journey through Camino de Santiago. As I have two fiends, including the person who made the suggestion, who will soon be taking this journey I purchased the Kindle edition of the book. Reading the book over Easter weekend was the best gift I could have given myself.

At first I was fearful that the book would be dry, containing too many details. I was so wrong! It was so expertly written that I felt as if I was taking the journey with the author. It also offered photos taken along the way. As I will never be able to make such a journey I am very grateful that I listened and took advantage of what was being offered.

Tradition states the first third of the journey is for the body, the second third for the mind and the last third for the soul.

As the book unfolded I could see that the Comino journey is exactly like living a human life. Although our destination is the same; our method of travel, our relationships, the nourishment we choose, the clothes we wear, our reactions to experiences are totally up to each individual.

Even though I may have followed like a sheep in the past this year I chose for my Easter experience to do what was best for my own spiritual growth.

A Good Friday revalation

A lifetime buried lesson finally surfaced on this good Friday 2014. What YOU believe is none of MY concern.

With the assistance of a simple drawing I happened to spot on facebook today I finally got it!

All those obstacles and roadblocks on my path were put there to force me to believe in what I believed to be true. It was never necessary to convince anyone else. What other people see is their journey. It is the result of their life experiences, relationships and lessons.

What a lot of wasted energy I have spent on other people!

Although the traditions of the Easter season are no longer celebrated in my current life I do find it interesting that today is Good Friday. A day to focus on past lessons and experiences and dare to believe in a bright future.

Disconnected

What an interesting day this has been. I was on facebook this morning and then suddenly- nothing! I did the usual, checking to see if it was just my computer and finally decided it wasn't. After calling the provider I was told "we know you can't access the internet or your email and the problem will be fixed as soon as possible".

Annoyed, I clicked on my kindle account to start reading the new book I purchased last night. It is actually one that appears to be worth reading. Not all of them are. Oddly, the title of this book is Disconnected. Honest it really is. I wouldn't make that up!

In between reading snatches of the book I did some laundry and made a grocery list, trying to think of everything I needed for the next few days. Then I was off to the store. First I stopped at the dollar store to pick up a couple of Easter items, spying a note on the door that their debit machine was down. I had enough cash to purchase what I wanted so I proceeded on my mission. Chatting with the clerk as I paid my bill I found out the outage ran clear to Gallup, 60 miles west of Grants and also affected cell phone use. She asked me how I was able to call the provider and I told her the old fashioned way, with a land phone.

The grocery store is in the same parking lot as the dollar store, which was going to be my next stop. Then a thought came to mind; their debit machines probably weren't working either. Since it is the way I usually pay for groceries I started driving home. Wait a minute! I suddenly remembered that before I used debit I wrote checks. Right!! I felt really stupid when I finally entered the store with my list. Interestingly Smiths debit machines worked just fine. It gave me hope that when I got home my internet would be working.

No such luck!

It took several more hours for the problem to be fixed. It must have been a big one. All was not lost. Because of being disconnected I accomplished much more than I ordinarilly would have on a Saturday, plus I must admit it has been pretty peaceful.

Do you think the universe is speaking again?!

A funny thing happened

Interesting what happens when one lets the universe decide issues!

Spring break is fast approaching and our family center will be offering a place for students to hang out. Only charging $10 per child for 4 days is pretty cheap babysitting for parents who work. For some reason I thought I would have the time off or at least only work 3 or 4 hours each day. I spent more time than I should have going back and forth trying to decide what was going to happen and adding up the money that could be on my paycheck. Although money isn't really the issue it is nice to accumulate extra bucks from time to time. I finally decided just to let whatever was going to happen do just that.

When I went to work yesterday afternoon I got a huge surprise! As I looked over the newly completed Spring Break schedule I saw that I will be working full time for a total of 32 hours. What is even better is that I will have varied duties throughout the day instead of being anchored in the computer lab for 8 hours. I even get to spend an hour outside with the kids and a one hour lunch break is schedueled.

I don't remember the last time I worked full time doing anything so it will be a challenge, but it is only for 4 days and I am sure they will go by fast. If the universe didn't think I could handle it I am sure it wouldn't be happening. And I still get a 4 day vacation from Good Friday to Easter Monday!

Good job guys!

In case you're wondering

No I have not stopped writing, just taking a little breather to figure out where I want to go from here. I have temporarilly run out of words to share what is happening in my current life. There are people who write blogs and all of a sudden they stop and leave their readers hanging wondering. Is the writer still alive?

In case you are wondering yes I am!

To make up for my lack of communication allow me to share one of my favorite pictures. Although I do not consider myself an artist this picture was good enough to appear in our local newspaper along with an article that I wrote. The picture (sketch) is titled "Can We Talk?