Courage

Sometimes courage is nothing more than daring to go on living - alone - after having been part of a couple.

It's daring to go back out into the world, continuing to put one foot in front of the other, as you walk into an unknown future - taking all of your Self with you.

Life Is Not Over Until It's Over

The old man picked up his paintbrush that had laid there gathering dust for many years now. He found a piece of canvas that was still useable even though discolored with age.

With fingers crippled from arthritis, he painstakingly applied the paint to the empty canvas in front of him. Many hours later he stepped back to see what picture wanted to be painted so strongly that it pulled him out of his usual idle malaise.

The scene was of six sailboats being pushed across the lake by a breeze that was both playful and purposeful at the same time. White clouds gathered in the sky, contrasting sharply with the deep green of the horizon.

Where had this scene come from......A place so deep inside himself that he didn't even know it existed?

As he stood looking at the picture in wonderment, he heard a divine voice in his head asking, "Whom shall we send?"

With every fibre of his being, he cried out, "I will go! Send Me!"

Memories Are For Keeps

The present is for making new ones.......

But it is also colored by memories from my past.

These memories from my past, that live on in my heart, make me who I am today. A little more able to be and to do...........A little less able to be and to do..........

Life is a process.....birth and death......every happening has a little of each in it.

You can't force either one. Like a flower blossoming in its own time and season.....

We have to patiently live out the Moment.....dying to.....being born to.....

A Look At Love

The best and most beautiful things in the world
cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart.

- Helen Keller


Two images came to my mind when I read these words a week or so ago. One was the image of a tough ex-marine enjoying milk and cookies with his toddler granddaughter - as shared on his blog.

The other image that came up for me was witnessed by my granddaughter - The aging alcoholic was sitting in his usual spot - the bench not far from the liquor store - waiting for it to open. A well-dressed man went up to him and, giving him a sandwich said, "You be sure to eat that before you start drinking, now, so you don't get sick."

Inner Guidance

Did you ever give your all to a project that ended successfully....and you're pleased....but tired.

And now that it is over, you realize it was only a drop in the bucket - so much more is needed. But you don't know where to go from here.

I was making the mistake, at this point, of letting my head do the thinking instead of my heart.

And I was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

Good thing a friend reminded me to just "BE" in the moment. That is when you are in direct alignment with God - and only then can you expect to be guided.

On The Road Again

Do not dwell in the past.
Do not dream of the future.
Concentrate the mind on the
present moment.

- Buddha

This is how I am living my life these days................

And I am having trouble keeping up with myself.

It is exciting. It is exhilarating. Not for one minute is it boring.

I do not stop to think, "Is this what I want to do with the rest of my life?" Only, "Is this what I want to be doing this moment?"

If the answer is yes, then I go for it.

I have no idea where any of it will lead me - and it doesn't matter. If I am doing what I want to be doing in the moment, then I can rest assured life will take me where I am meant to go.

Not A Caterpillar Any More

"How does one become a butterfly?" she asked pensively.

"You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."

-Trina Paulus (Hello From Heaven)

This has been a busy week - full of Life; and a death. An exciting week - with many twists and turns. It was one of those weeks where you have no other choice but to go with the flow - no time to stop and think where anything might be leading - because you are too busy responding to Life.

And now with the weekend ahead of me, I can catch up to myself. Incorporate some of what I have experienced. Become grounded once again.

Get in touch with myself - a little bit changed by all that has been going on around me - but not so much that a lot of work has to be done to be in tune.

I feel more relaxed with Life than I ever have in the past - more comfortable with myself and with others than I can ever remember being.

It is so much fun interacting with people when you feel comfortable with yourself - and can just Be.

I have always admired (maybe even envied) people who felt comfortable with who they were. You could tell they felt at home with themselves in a way not everybody does.

I can't tell anyone how to get to that spot with themselves. I just know that I have finally made it to that spot with myself. Perhaps part of it is learning to love and accept yourself just as you are instead of holding out until you are nicer or prettier - or even more slender.

Try it; it really is worth the effort.