PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A REASON

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life,
whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

Awaken Spring

'Tis like the birthday of the world,

When earth was born in bloom;

The light is made of many dyes,

The air is all perfume:

There's crimson buds, and white and blue,

The very rainbow showers

Have turned to blossoms where they fell,

And sown the earth with flowers.

—Thomas Hood

A Flight in the Sun

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." ~ Maya Angelou

NEW BEGINNINGS
A FLIGHT IN THE SUN

That first bright step into the sunshine of life
begins with the opening of the family cocoon.
The caterpillar becomes a butterfly
spreading her wings into the world.

What she is today is but a tiny mirror.
of the transformation that is yet to come.
For with time, love, humor and warmth
She is an ever changing masterpiece.

Whether as wife, mother, career woman or all,
she will find her center of peace.
A place that is hers and hers alone,
the essence of what she is and will be.

Using the instincts that each of us have
to find the good in each other.
to be a caring friend, lover, helper and playmate,
to listen and share, to laugh and to cry.

With loving support of family and friends,
she takes flight down an unknown road towards her future,
like the rising of the sun in the east.
Each day filled with new beginnings.

Finding excitement and challenge at each new turn.
Her flight through life filled with many happy adventures
and memories to put in her book of life,
as the sun moves along that steady path across the sky.

When the sun at last begins to set in the west
and her flight nears its end, she can look back along her path
and know that she has been everything she can be
and has done her very best.

~ Poem by Linda Dietz

Happiness Defined

When I was 5 years old, my mom always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment and I told them they didn’t understand life.

Recipe for a Happy New Year

Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed from all the past—have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of Time.

Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day at a time.

Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, prayer, meditation, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing—don't do it), and one well-selected resolution.

Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor.

Inner Beauty

"For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others."

~ Audrey Hepburn

Lovely Autumn

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." ~ Stanley Horowitz

Beautiful Indian Angel And Her Wolf

There was an Indian Angel
By her side was her magnificent wolf
She came up from the river bank
With a gentleness and great grace

The beautiful Indian angel and her wolf
Had a golden glow around their heads
In her hands she held
One beautiful white dove

She looked up and smiled
And held up the beautiful white dove
As she held up the dove
A radiant light began to shine

With a gentle soft voice
As she released the pure white dove
She said, I've come from the Holy Spirit
To tell you to please protect my land

For this is were the eagles fly
You'll never have this chance again
Then the beautiful Indian angel and her wolf
Turned to walk away and disappeared

by: Donna J. Kramer

A lesson from a child

The Hamster, Cat, and Dog

 Written By: Elle, 9, Philippines

Elle's fable:

A timid hamster and a bossy cat lived together in a house. Everyday the cat chased and teased the hamster, saying, "Little hamster, you take such tiny steps and always hide from me! You’re a coward!"

The hamster didn’t like the way the cat treated him so he came up with a plan to make her stop.

The hamster asked his best friend, the neighbor's loud, loyal dog, to help him out. "Friend dog, please go to our garage and leave the rest to me."

"OK, friend hamster", said the dog.

The hamster went back in the house and said to the cat, "Cat, I saw some leftover fish in the garage from our owner’s dinner. Would you like some?" The cat quickly ran to the garage without a word of thanks.

When the cat got there, the big dog was waiting for her. "RUFF, RUFF, GROWL!" said the dog and he chased the cat around the garage.

The cat got scared and very mad. The cat realized how the little hamster felt so from then on she stopped chasing and teasing him.

Then the hamster and cat became friends!

The moral of the story: Don't be a bully because you won't like it either if someone bullies you.

The Trouble Tree

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farm house had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire had caused him to miss an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pick-up truck refused to start.

As I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. When we arrived he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked to the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles; he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed by the tree and my curiosity got the better of me.

I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, they don't belong in the house with my wife and children. So, I just hang them on the tree when I come home in the evening and then I just pick them up again in the morning."

"Funny thing, though," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remembered hanging there the night before."

A Moment with Nature

"Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful.  Everything is simply happy.  Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance.  Look at the flowers - for no reason.  It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are."  ~ Osho

The Seven Wonders of the World

A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes: 

1) Egypt's Great Pyramids 
2) Taj Mahal 
3) Grand Canyon 
4) Panama Canal 
5) Empire State Building 
6) St. Peter's Basilica 
7) China's Great Wall 

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the student if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, and then read:  

"I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:   

1) To See... 
2) To Hear... 
3) To Touch... 
4) To Taste...

5) To Feel... 
6) To Laugh... 
And
7) To Love." 

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wonderous! 
A gentle reminder: 
The most precious things in life cannot be bought or built by man.

A Moment with Pooh

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast? said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
"It's the same thing," he said.

~ Benjamin Hoff

Under the Stars

One summer night, out on a flat headland, all but surrounded by the waters of the bay, the horizons were remote and distant rims on the edge of space.  Millions of stars blazed in darkness, and on the far shore a few lights burned in cottages.  Otherwise there was no reminder of human life.  My companion and I were alone with the stars:  the misty river of the Milky Way flowing across the sky, the patterns of the constellations standing out bright and clear, a blazing planet low on the horizon.  It occurred to me that if this were a sight that could be seen only once in a century, this little headland would be thronged with spectators.  But it can be see, many scores of nights in any year, and so the lights burned in the cottages and the inhabitants probably gave not a thought to the beauty overhead; and because they could see it almost any night, perhaps they never will.  ~Rachel Carson

Longing for Autumn

"I love fall! Fall is exciting.
It's apples and cider.
It's an airborne spider.
It's pumpkins in bins.
It's burrs on dog's chins.
It's wind blowing leaves.
It's chilly red knees.
It's nuts on the ground.
It's a crisp dry sound.
It's green leaves turning
And the smell of them burning.
It's clouds in the sky.
It's fall. That's why...
I love fall."
-   Author Unknown

Just a little reminder...

 

"Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction."  ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

"Love would never be a promise of a rose garden unless it is showered with light of faith, water of sincerity and air of passion." ~ Author Unknown

"If love does not know how to give and take without restrictions, it is not love, but a transaction that never fails to lay stress on a plus and a minus."  ~Emma Goldman, 

"Only when the heart is unencumbered by fear can love flow unconditionally."  ~ Ellen Tadd

"The past is behind us, love is in front and all around us."  ~Terri Guillemets

"You don't have to go looking for love when it's where you come from."  ~Werner Erhard
  

"Love is not consolation.  It is light."  ~Friedrich Nietzsche 

"Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination."  ~Voltaire

Lakota Prayer

Wakan Tanka, Great Mystery,
teach me how to trust
my heart,
my mind,
my intuition,
my inner knowing,
the senses of my body,
the blessings of my spirit.
Teach me to trust these things
so that I may enter my Sacred Space
and love beyond my fear,
and thus Walk in Balance
with the passing of each glorious Sun.

According to the Native People, the Sacred Space is the space between exhalation and inhalation.  To Walk in Balance is to have Heaven (spirituality) and Earth (physicality) in Harmony. 

 

 

The Master's Hand

 (Adapted from a Zen story)

Dr. Mala Sinha 

Ramanand was fed up of his wife’s stinginess. No matter how much money he gave her, she always served him only, watery dal (lentils), boiled potatoes and stale chapattis. When he complained she gave the same answer every time; that things were expensive and they could not afford anything more.

Disgusted he went to his guru and complained about his wife.  The master asked him to bring the wife to him. 

The next day when the wife stood in front of the master, he raised his clenched fist to her face.  She was surprised and said, "What are you doing?"  The master asked, "Suppose my fist was always like this, what would you call it?"  The woman replied, "A deformity."

The master then opened his palm flat in front of her face and asked, "Suppose it was always like this. What then?"  She answered, "Another kind of deformity."

The master smiled and said, "If you understand this much, you are a good wife.  Now go with your husband."

The man did not come back to the master again.

Universal Love Prayer

Universal Love Prayer

        from the Metta Sutta

May all beings be filled with joy and peace.
May all beings everywhere,
The strong and the weak,
The great and the small,
The mean and the powerful,
The short and the long,
the subtle and the gross:

May all beings everywhere,
Seen and unseen,
Dwelling far off or nearby,
Being or waiting to become:
May all be filled with lasting joy.

Let no one deceive another,
Let no one anywhere despise another,
Let no one out of anger or resentment
Wish suffering on anyone at all.

Just as a mother with her own life
Protects her child, her only child, from harm,
So within yourself let grow
A boundless love for all creatures.

Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.

Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.

Namu Amida Buddha.

Reflections on a Beautiful Soul

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever." ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson

My Nana was an old soul, a kindred spirit, very in tune with the earth and very wise about the world.  She taught me about life by showing me how to embrace nature. Today, would have been her 93rd birthday.  Her body left this world 7 years ago but her soul remains and it has kept watch of me and my family since.

Throughout the years, my Nana and I,  used to pick four leaf clovers.  Honoring her Native American heritage, when she found a feather she would stick it behind her ear. We would sit for hours in the backyard (even when I was a teenager) and pick literally 100’s of four leaf clovers. No one could understand how we always found them let alone so many. These memories I will always cherish.

I went with a friend to Woodstock, NY when I was pregnant with my oldest son, Mikey (Her "angel in a basket") and they were selling necklaces with real four leaf clovers in them. I bought her one and gave it to her and we sat and chatted for hours about them and our special tradition at every visit. After she passed away, I wore the necklace and oddly the four leaf clover started to fade slowly and then disintegrated, yet all the fluids remained in the necklace.  I think she just took it with her.

My Nana is always with me and she has ways of letting me know she is present. Every holiday, whether it is a birthday, anniversary, major holiday or family event; I always find a four leaf clover.  Last year I couldn't find any for a few months and I was becoming really disappointed because I always found them before and I was worried about the underlying message.  Was she still with me?  Did she move on?  Then one day I found 5 in my parents front lawn. I was so excited, there was one for every missed event -- My birthday, one for each of my boys birthdays, my anniversary and mothers day. On my way into the house to wrap them, I lost one. But I wasn't disappointed because I knew she was there for me. 

Another reminder that she is watching over me is an interesting story.  Four years ago, while preparing for Mikey’s birthday party and hanging up decorations in the back yard at my parent’s house; I found a feather. (Remember, she used to wear them in her hair?) I taped it to the chimney and told everyone that my Nana was there. (It hung there for over three years through many storms just held by a tiny piece of scotch tape until my parents replaced the chimney.)  Each year for the boys' birthday parties a new feather had been found below the one hanging on the chimney.  This was the first birthday party since the chimney replacement that no one mentioned the feather nor did anyone find one.  And although I didn't tell my parents, I found the original feather at the party.  Wilted from years of fighting against storms, I found it while bringing up the cakes from down in the basement, hiding slightly out of sight under the stairs where it must have picked up residence.

I share these memories as a way to honor the amazing woman who this world lost 7 years ago.  The woman who was admired and loved by all those she met.  She was a beautiful old soul and she will forever live on in my memory and in the stories we share.

Happy Birthday, Nana.  I love you.