We finished up the two week Writing Camp for elementary students this morning with a little party to celebrate. In addition to yummy M & M cookies and juice my co-worker, B.J., gave them some interesting mementos with her own brand of retired teacher experience attached to them.
First she offered the kids small magnets and told them that they were to take one example of what they had written and using the magnet attach it to their refrigerator. Next was a tiny box of Milk Duds, which they were to carefully open, saving the box and putting it somewhere in their bedroom. Then they were instructed to look at the box the next time something came up that they didn't think they could do and remember that they are not duds. Finally, they were given a pack of fruit snacks, reminding them that although everyone is different they are all special in their own way. I also added cute little erasers and rewarded the boy and girl who had perfect attendance during the camp with a special gift.
I can't believe how lucky I am to have connected with B.J.on this year's camp project. It was a perfect fit and I believe the kids who took advantage of what we freely offered benefited from the connection. If we did nothing else but strengthen their self confidence- we done good!
Friday, July 12, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Homesick
My regular readers know that I have written several blog posts about my friend Ms. M. She has read what I have written and is getting a giant kick out of it. You see she is a resident in our local nursing home and the only way I could use her actual name is to go through their red tape, which is a pain in the you know what! Thus she is referred to as Ms. M. Where there's a will there's a way.
Yesterday I received a call from her asking me to stop by for a chat because she had something important she wanted to tell me. I was unprepared for the news she wanted to share.
In the last few months I have become her adopted family, as all of her biological family live in Texas. It has been fun and we have found that we have a lot in common, including a natural gift for writing. Mine was awakened in 2000 when I was given the opportunity to write a column for our local paper, by a person who saw something in me that I was not aware of at the time. I am happy to say that I am responsible for awakening Ms. M's gift of words which had lain dormant for years. She now can't wait to get those words out of her mind and share them in her creative stories.
On our visit yesterday and with tears in her eyes, she informed me that she would soon be moving to a nursing home near her family. Although she is very happy here and has made many friends, the truth of the matter is- she is homesick.
As I looked at her I asked, "Do you really need to go into a nursing home?" I was thinking perhaps she could live with a relative.
Her answer was, "I love it! I have no responsibilities and I can do anything I choose to fill my days."
I believe she's got it, as Professor Henry Higgins once exclaimed.
All Ms. M needs now to complete her perfect life is to go home. Bon Voyage my fair lady, I am grateful to have been counted as your friend in this lifetime.
Yesterday I received a call from her asking me to stop by for a chat because she had something important she wanted to tell me. I was unprepared for the news she wanted to share.
In the last few months I have become her adopted family, as all of her biological family live in Texas. It has been fun and we have found that we have a lot in common, including a natural gift for writing. Mine was awakened in 2000 when I was given the opportunity to write a column for our local paper, by a person who saw something in me that I was not aware of at the time. I am happy to say that I am responsible for awakening Ms. M's gift of words which had lain dormant for years. She now can't wait to get those words out of her mind and share them in her creative stories.
On our visit yesterday and with tears in her eyes, she informed me that she would soon be moving to a nursing home near her family. Although she is very happy here and has made many friends, the truth of the matter is- she is homesick.
As I looked at her I asked, "Do you really need to go into a nursing home?" I was thinking perhaps she could live with a relative.
Her answer was, "I love it! I have no responsibilities and I can do anything I choose to fill my days."
I believe she's got it, as Professor Henry Higgins once exclaimed.
All Ms. M needs now to complete her perfect life is to go home. Bon Voyage my fair lady, I am grateful to have been counted as your friend in this lifetime.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Another one bit the dust
Another family holiday down the tubes. It would be really cool to have a family to celebrate with, but the reality is that I don't. I do; however have, reasonably good health, friends, a home, a car, enough food and clothes, no current bills and most of all an interesting assortment of universal gifts.That's a lot to be grateful for and there are many souls who do not have what I have.
Looking around at the devastation through floods and fires in the world today causes me to be very grateful for what I have. It may not be much according to national statistics, but there is little more that I actually need. It always makes me laugh to see that my income falls well below the poverty level for the United States. I look at the rich and wonder why they need so much in an attempt to be happy. You can only sleep in one bed at a time.
Although today's post is short it is full of gratitude for my family that is no more. Through them I learned what counts and what doesn't.
Looking around at the devastation through floods and fires in the world today causes me to be very grateful for what I have. It may not be much according to national statistics, but there is little more that I actually need. It always makes me laugh to see that my income falls well below the poverty level for the United States. I look at the rich and wonder why they need so much in an attempt to be happy. You can only sleep in one bed at a time.
Although today's post is short it is full of gratitude for my family that is no more. Through them I learned what counts and what doesn't.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Another observation
While offline I also noticed I had at some point done quite a bit of research on ego vs. soul. I found some interesting information acquired from an Osho (a mystic guru from India) website. He said in part, the ego is a by product of living with others. If we lived in a cave away from other humans we would never develop an ego. (That doesn't sound like much fun and we would grow to become an animal.)
The ego is nothing more than what society thinks of us and society is ALL minus you. I love that thought and it is a very good thing to remember.
There was another Osho thought that I liked and that is, "If you know the false as false, truth will dawn on you. You have to encounter the untrue to know what is true." In other words, stop believing everyone else and tune into what your own soul knows to be true. If following someone else feels wrong pay attention- it is! Stop it!
As the result of contemplating that thought I created a list of about 10 people who made an impact on me in recent years and are no longer part of my life. I was curious to see what they might have in common. Most of them were basically nice people, but they were all pushy, demanding and controlling in their own unique way. They all wanted me to live my life according to the way they thought I should.
Interestingly, I saw that they all acted as mirrors, either reflecting the person I once was or a person that I absolutely do not ever want to be. No wonder they are no longer part of my life. Who in their right mind would want to invite that brand of negativity back in? They did their job and I am grateful- the end.
Looking at other notes I had taken on ego vs. soul I found a comparison written by Barbara Whitefield that I would like to pass on for your consideration.
The voice of ego/mind
Flatters, commands, demands, tests, chooses for you, imprisons, promotes dependency, intrudes, pushes, excludes, instills fear, is status oriented, judges, insists on obedience, claims ultimate authority, offers shortcuts, seeks personal gratification.
The voice of spirit/soul
Informs, suggests, guides, nudges, leaves choice to you, empowers, promotes independence, respects, supports, includes, promotes well-being, is free and open, accepts individuality, encourages growth and development, recognizes a higher power, offers integration, lives in unconditional love.
A message I received this morning was: just be you and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.
It appears that sometimes we need to take a quiet break and observe what we have already been offered before jumping ahead to the next lesson. I recently had a dream that I had graduated and it wasn't from high school or college. Perhaps now someone will actually hand me the diploma I have worked so hard to earn.
The ego is nothing more than what society thinks of us and society is ALL minus you. I love that thought and it is a very good thing to remember.
There was another Osho thought that I liked and that is, "If you know the false as false, truth will dawn on you. You have to encounter the untrue to know what is true." In other words, stop believing everyone else and tune into what your own soul knows to be true. If following someone else feels wrong pay attention- it is! Stop it!
As the result of contemplating that thought I created a list of about 10 people who made an impact on me in recent years and are no longer part of my life. I was curious to see what they might have in common. Most of them were basically nice people, but they were all pushy, demanding and controlling in their own unique way. They all wanted me to live my life according to the way they thought I should.
Interestingly, I saw that they all acted as mirrors, either reflecting the person I once was or a person that I absolutely do not ever want to be. No wonder they are no longer part of my life. Who in their right mind would want to invite that brand of negativity back in? They did their job and I am grateful- the end.
Looking at other notes I had taken on ego vs. soul I found a comparison written by Barbara Whitefield that I would like to pass on for your consideration.
The voice of ego/mind
Flatters, commands, demands, tests, chooses for you, imprisons, promotes dependency, intrudes, pushes, excludes, instills fear, is status oriented, judges, insists on obedience, claims ultimate authority, offers shortcuts, seeks personal gratification.
The voice of spirit/soul
Informs, suggests, guides, nudges, leaves choice to you, empowers, promotes independence, respects, supports, includes, promotes well-being, is free and open, accepts individuality, encourages growth and development, recognizes a higher power, offers integration, lives in unconditional love.
A message I received this morning was: just be you and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.
It appears that sometimes we need to take a quiet break and observe what we have already been offered before jumping ahead to the next lesson. I recently had a dream that I had graduated and it wasn't from high school or college. Perhaps now someone will actually hand me the diploma I have worked so hard to earn.
Here and now
This morning I am very grateful to the Universe for cutting off my access to my computer for a little over a week. That may sound a little weird, but I now see that it gave me an opportunity to go back in time and relearn some lessons that I didn't quite get when they were first presented. Luckily I usually follow my strong intuition about taking notes that my soul mind knows I may need later.
One of the interesting tidbits I found was information I had written down about a dream I had in 2007. It was about midway into my "conscious awakening journey". I don't often remember my dreams so when I do I know the message must be very important.
Before going into that dream I want to inject an incident that occurred in the spring of 1999, during a hypnosis session to end a 40 year nicotine addiction, which worked by the way. I clearly saw a bolt of lightning from somewhere in front of and slightly above my body pierce my heart. There was no pain involved and I have shared the information with few. I have never fully understood its meaning except to take it as a wake up call to begin a new life. I had actually forgotten about this experience, which really surprises me.
Now back to the 2007 dream:
I had just finished reading James Redfield's Celestine Prophecy and it left me with a question. As the saying goes, "ask and thou shall receive"; I asked, "How do I breathe in Universal energy?" I'm sure some of you are saying, "just breathe". Back then I didn't know some of the things I have since learned. That's called growing, I believe.
Here is the dream according to my notes and my current awakened memory. There were two women, dressed in what appeared to be old world nun's clothing, except that they wore no head dress and the color was green (sage) not black. They walked along a path with a short stone wall separating them from the sea. They entered a stone building, resembling an old church. The younger woman went into a small room with a cot, laid down and began crying because she was afraid of something. The older woman confidently sat down at a desk and using a telephone began inspiring/encouraging callers to evolve.
At the time I had the dream I felt both women represented me and I was being asked to choose which one I wanted to be. Because I have learned a lot about spiritual matters since 2007, this morning I took the dream apart piece by piece, with the help of Betty Bethards' book , The Dream Book.
Follow us:
nun= teacher, spiritual qualities within self, if dressed in black (not) implies being walled off from people and material things
#2= balance of masculine/feminine energy
path= your direction in life
stone= strength, grounding, personal power
sea= sea of life, enormous emotional energy to be used wisely
church= acknowledgement of higher power
bed= bridge between conscious and unconscious, return to the womb
desk= problem you are working on, exploration, self discovery
telephone= asking for guidance, trying to give or receive a message
I also strongly felt that the color of the nun's habit was very important. I also felt it had something to do with Archangel guidance, which I have since learned to accept and appreciate. Remember, I had asked a question of the Universe. I checked in Doreen Virtue's book, Angels 101, to see which Archangel's color came closest to fitting the color sage. It was Chamuel, the angel of peace, who helps us find what we are looking for.
Those are the facts dear readers and you are free to make of them what you wish. I personally am extremely grateful to have been given an opportunity to view the progress made here and now.
One of the interesting tidbits I found was information I had written down about a dream I had in 2007. It was about midway into my "conscious awakening journey". I don't often remember my dreams so when I do I know the message must be very important.
Before going into that dream I want to inject an incident that occurred in the spring of 1999, during a hypnosis session to end a 40 year nicotine addiction, which worked by the way. I clearly saw a bolt of lightning from somewhere in front of and slightly above my body pierce my heart. There was no pain involved and I have shared the information with few. I have never fully understood its meaning except to take it as a wake up call to begin a new life. I had actually forgotten about this experience, which really surprises me.
Now back to the 2007 dream:
I had just finished reading James Redfield's Celestine Prophecy and it left me with a question. As the saying goes, "ask and thou shall receive"; I asked, "How do I breathe in Universal energy?" I'm sure some of you are saying, "just breathe". Back then I didn't know some of the things I have since learned. That's called growing, I believe.
Here is the dream according to my notes and my current awakened memory. There were two women, dressed in what appeared to be old world nun's clothing, except that they wore no head dress and the color was green (sage) not black. They walked along a path with a short stone wall separating them from the sea. They entered a stone building, resembling an old church. The younger woman went into a small room with a cot, laid down and began crying because she was afraid of something. The older woman confidently sat down at a desk and using a telephone began inspiring/encouraging callers to evolve.
At the time I had the dream I felt both women represented me and I was being asked to choose which one I wanted to be. Because I have learned a lot about spiritual matters since 2007, this morning I took the dream apart piece by piece, with the help of Betty Bethards' book , The Dream Book.
Follow us:
nun= teacher, spiritual qualities within self, if dressed in black (not) implies being walled off from people and material things
#2= balance of masculine/feminine energy
path= your direction in life
stone= strength, grounding, personal power
sea= sea of life, enormous emotional energy to be used wisely
church= acknowledgement of higher power
bed= bridge between conscious and unconscious, return to the womb
desk= problem you are working on, exploration, self discovery
telephone= asking for guidance, trying to give or receive a message
I also strongly felt that the color of the nun's habit was very important. I also felt it had something to do with Archangel guidance, which I have since learned to accept and appreciate. Remember, I had asked a question of the Universe. I checked in Doreen Virtue's book, Angels 101, to see which Archangel's color came closest to fitting the color sage. It was Chamuel, the angel of peace, who helps us find what we are looking for.
Those are the facts dear readers and you are free to make of them what you wish. I personally am extremely grateful to have been given an opportunity to view the progress made here and now.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Free to write
For over a week I have been without the use of a computer. Mine had been giving me so much trouble that I was advised to just let it sit until I could find someone to check it out. So that is exactly what I did.
Living in a small town is sometimes tough when one needs to locate a repairman. I asked everyone I came in contact with for the name of someone who might help me. I ended up with three different people, but couldn't contact any of them. I left messages with the hope that at least one would call me back. I waited and waited for my phone to ring and nothing happened.
In desperation I finally went to the library to use their computer. Their provider is a local one and slower than slow. I did find out that there was nothing wrong with my Facebook account and the problem I was having accessing it was most likely whatever was wrong with my computer. That was at least a tiny bit of good news. I was also given the name of a computer repair business that I thought had closed. It had only moved to a new location, due to the constant digging up of roads to repair old water lines. It makes the saying " you can't get there from here" a reality.
On Monday I bundled up my computer and took it for a ride to Black Mesa Computers. I explained its current performance and left it in the care of Mike and Sparkie, sending out positive thoughts that the bill wouldn't be outrageous, I was told it would be ready in a couple of days.
During the week I was without my trusty friend I realized it had become an addiction. I rediscovered life before computers. I cleaned out my file cabinet, looking over research material I had saved over the last few years. It jogged my memory about things I had forgotten I even knew. I made a phone call to my son to whom I had not spoken to in at least two years, because we communicate via email. I also called a local friend whom I had not checked in with for several months. I spent more time with my 3 four legged pets. I cleaned house and found time to rearrange furniture. I did tune into our local radio station and checked out a couple of daytime TV shows that I used to enjoy watching.
Most of all I remembered I knew how to write without the use of a piece of machinery. My friend and I have now reconnected and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. Today is Independence Day and I am going to turn off my friend for awhile and go watch the parade.
Living in a small town is sometimes tough when one needs to locate a repairman. I asked everyone I came in contact with for the name of someone who might help me. I ended up with three different people, but couldn't contact any of them. I left messages with the hope that at least one would call me back. I waited and waited for my phone to ring and nothing happened.
In desperation I finally went to the library to use their computer. Their provider is a local one and slower than slow. I did find out that there was nothing wrong with my Facebook account and the problem I was having accessing it was most likely whatever was wrong with my computer. That was at least a tiny bit of good news. I was also given the name of a computer repair business that I thought had closed. It had only moved to a new location, due to the constant digging up of roads to repair old water lines. It makes the saying " you can't get there from here" a reality.
On Monday I bundled up my computer and took it for a ride to Black Mesa Computers. I explained its current performance and left it in the care of Mike and Sparkie, sending out positive thoughts that the bill wouldn't be outrageous, I was told it would be ready in a couple of days.
During the week I was without my trusty friend I realized it had become an addiction. I rediscovered life before computers. I cleaned out my file cabinet, looking over research material I had saved over the last few years. It jogged my memory about things I had forgotten I even knew. I made a phone call to my son to whom I had not spoken to in at least two years, because we communicate via email. I also called a local friend whom I had not checked in with for several months. I spent more time with my 3 four legged pets. I cleaned house and found time to rearrange furniture. I did tune into our local radio station and checked out a couple of daytime TV shows that I used to enjoy watching.
Most of all I remembered I knew how to write without the use of a piece of machinery. My friend and I have now reconnected and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. Today is Independence Day and I am going to turn off my friend for awhile and go watch the parade.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Day three- patience
This is day three of my internet and or computer problem; probably a little of both. I'm still waiting for help to fix whatever is wrong. There's that pesky word again- patience!
I am suspecting the major problem with Facebook access is that my account has been tampered with. It is quite possible that I will need to delete it and open a new one. I'm not looking forward to that scenario. It would mean that everything I have posted on my wall, including several years of photos and over 100 friend contacts will be no more and I will have to start over from scratch.
Replacing photos etc. isn't a problem, although it would be time consuming. Sending out all those friend requests would be a major problem. Fortunately I keep a card file up to date. Looking over the file I see that there are names that I most likely choose to just ignore. I wonder how some of those names even still remain on the list.
It is of course, possible that I won't have to take this step. At the moment it could go either way. Because there are many contacts that I would be very upset to loose I am going to share my other contact information here and attempt to keep a positive thought or two about the situation. Patience!
I am suspecting the major problem with Facebook access is that my account has been tampered with. It is quite possible that I will need to delete it and open a new one. I'm not looking forward to that scenario. It would mean that everything I have posted on my wall, including several years of photos and over 100 friend contacts will be no more and I will have to start over from scratch.
Replacing photos etc. isn't a problem, although it would be time consuming. Sending out all those friend requests would be a major problem. Fortunately I keep a card file up to date. Looking over the file I see that there are names that I most likely choose to just ignore. I wonder how some of those names even still remain on the list.
It is of course, possible that I won't have to take this step. At the moment it could go either way. Because there are many contacts that I would be very upset to loose I am going to share my other contact information here and attempt to keep a positive thought or two about the situation. Patience!
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