On the last day...............

The New Year arrives soon.

My mind races ahead and tries to peer into days, weeks, months.
The questions quickly follow.
What if...?
How will I...?
I want to begin the year with a heart lifted up in HOPE. Yet sometimes concerens threaten to pull me down.
And in all of this I wonder, "What does God really want from me this year?" I find out on a chilly morning at a wooden table in my kitchen, fat coffee mug  in my hand--

{God} takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. No, the Lord's delight is in those who are in awe of  Him, those who put their hope in His unfailing love. Psalm 147:10-11

I ponder those first phrases--the strength of a horse, human might. What does that mean? Oh, the striving, the endless effort, the independence.
Then the others--those who fear Him, those who put their HOPE in His unfailing love. And what does that mean? Yes, the abiding, the relationship, the trusting.
I catch a glimpse of freedom then. Because it's the second that brings not just a smile, not just a bit of joy, but DELIGHT to God's heart. Delight!
Yes, you and I can chase the fear of failure out the door because it's trust God wants--not results. And we can welcome unfailing love with these words instead:

Even  if ______________________________________________
    God's love will not fail me.
No matter how ________________________________________
    God's love will not fail me.

I write out my concerns in a list just like the one above. Then I lean back from the smiling  and set down my mug.  I feel warmer already.

We may not know what the New Year holds...
but we can be certain of Love that will not let us go.  Not let us go... not let us go.

Fear Not!

I don’t know how to write or teach or counsel without talking about our fears.

I sometimes teach workshops and get to spend time with those who come, and one question that seems to lurk behind whatever else they may ask is this:   Will I ever stop being afraid to _______?

My answer…  No.
You won’t.
Neither will I.
And this isn’t just about writing words—it’s any endeavor where we offer a piece of ourselves, lay bare our hearts for the world, give something we’ve held close.

You know what that is for you: words, art, music, a mission, a dream, a child, a relationship.
Maybe what we’re really asking, without even knowing it, is this: Can I do this and not be crucified?

    Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and  take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

 

We blush a bit when we think of it this way but didn’t even Jesus ask for the cup to pass from Him? No one wants this part of it. Not even the Son of God. And yet it’s in the giving, the laying down, the opening ourselves up that we find a path to joy.

    Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

Yes, there are good things—such great things—on the other side of fear, the other side of dying to ourselves. But the only way from here to there is through it.

We try to make ourselves ready for the task. But there aren’t enough conferences, books, wise friends, experiences, degrees to take away that shaking in our knees.

Our only hope?

Do it anyway...

Merry★* 。 • ˚ ˚ •。★Christmas★ 。* 。*FROM MY HOUSE TO YOURS!!
° 。 ° ˚* _Π_____*。*˚★ 。* 。*。 • ˚ ˚ •。★
˚ ˛ •˛•*/______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛★ 。* 。*★ 。* 。*
˚ ˛ •˛• ｜ 田田｜門｜ ˚And a Happy New Year...  2011!!!!!

Stop perfecting the Perfect...........

I curl up on the couch, coffee in one hand and a pen in the other. Feeling weary all the way to my bones.

Thinking  of all the ways I fall short...
the corners of the house uncleaned.
the corners of my heart that are the same.
Whispering prayers about feeling too small, about things seeming impossible, of never being able to grasp that word that haunts the Daughters of Eve--perfect.

On the horizon of my heart a half-remembered Scripture slowly appears. I search for it. When I find it, I look in wonder...

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. Psalm 138:8 NKJV

Twin truths slip from that sentence. First, God alone knows what perfect really means. And let me assure you, it's not the standards we set. Second, only He can make it happen in our lives--and He will.
God's "perfect" may not match what we have in our minds. It may not come when we planned. It may not work out the way we always imagined it would.
But God will perfect that which concerns me, that which concerns you.
Is there any better proof than a baby in a manger born on Christmas morning?
Jesus was unexpected, not-as-planned, didn't-see-that-coming, more-than-we-imagined. In one word: Perfect.

And through Him, we can trust that somehow, inexplicably, God will make everything else in our lives right too.
We are imperfect but His love never, ever is.
That, my friends, is worth celebrating.
I get up from the couch. I set down my pen and coffee.
I find myself humming, "Joy to the world..."

When you feel broken...

 The dish slipped from my hand, hit the floor, shattered into a million pieces.
I sat right down beside it.
Sobbing.
It was one of my favorites, a gift from Vivie.
In the cabinet I can see my other dishes.
Plain. Glass. Replaceable. But this dish?
I treasured it.
I think of a phrase God uses over and over to describe us...
Treasured possession.   (Deuteronomy 7:6)
And in that moment I know with all my heart that He cares about our brokenness. He cares about our hurts. It matters to Him when we are shattered. He came down beside us so that we would know that fully.
You're not just glass to Him. YOU are not "Replaceable."
No, you are the one He loves.
You are the one He treasures.
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)
Where is God's treasure?
With you.
Then where is His heart?
With you as well.
Right there. Right now. In the middle of your brokenness.
Only He can put you back together...
And you can be sure He loves you enough to do it.

Some days writing opens the flood gates......

I pick up a pen just to write what I have to do this week.
I scratch a few words...and there is no ink left.

Tears well and tumble over my sleep-deprived cheeks onto the page,
I whisper, "Yes, Lord, yes--I too am empty."

I think of you and wonder how many of you feel that way too.
Starting a new week, feeling as if you've run dry.

So let us come together to the One who came for us...

Lord, We are empty.
You promised us life to the full. We are empty.
So we come to you and ask that you would spill out peace into our hearts. We are empty.
Flow love into the places where we need it most.  We are empty.
Renew our strength, bring back our joy. We are empty.
Restore us so that we can be a living letter for you this week. We are empty.
We thank you that you are the ink in our pens,
the life in our hearts, the One who gives us all we need...and more.
We love you. Fill us.

Show that you are a letter from Christ...written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3

come, sit a while....

I'm sitting at my kitchen table this morning. The sun is soft on the yellow walls. The coffee cup is warm in my hands.

And I wonder, What would he say if  he were here?
This is the hardest part of being a writer--not having you with me always. But in a way I do.
You know that, don't you?
That I think of, pray for, carry YOU in my heart.
If you were here this morning, I'd make you a pot of tea. I'd pass a plate of  fresh bread  across the table and I'd say.
"Before you start this week, I want you to know--
You're loved.
You matter.
You're seen and known.
And that thing you're worried about?
The One who made you is going to make it okay too."
Then I'd listen long and hard to your heart.
I'd send you out the door with a smile and tell you,
"Come back tomorrow."
You will, won't you?

won't you?

"See you on the other side." ...............

Those were his last words to me......

Then the phone rang just a few days after thanksgiving.
And my heart released someone I loved deeply to the hands of heaven.

No more Christmas hugs or special cheesecake on the deck with one fork.
My heart and my profession make me conscious of those for whom this is not the most wonderful time of year. I’ve seen a bit of “the other side of the manger.” Even in that lowly stable the shadow of what was to come fell across Christ.  

Christmas isn’t just about the merry and bright.
It’s also about Love deeper than we know—deep enough to conquer even death.
That’s where the wildest joy is found.
We don’t have to check our pain at the door of Christmas.
We can bring it, full force, to the One who knows that the manger leads to the cross. He also knows the unexpected joy that can come on the other side...

And when my time is due...    I'll look for you on the other side, dear friend. 

Busy, busy, too busy...............

'Tis the season to be busy. fa-la-la-la-la.....

There are gifts to buy, meals to make, trips to take, decorations to be hung, songs to be sung, places to go, people to see...
It's December 2nd and I'm already tired.
Anyone else?
I read the words...
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
But how can I be still when there's so much going on?
Of course, the first answer is to simplify my life.
Yet the kind of stillness God is talking about isn't just about my circumstances. It's about being still on the inside.
I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother. Psalm 131:2
What is a weaned child like?
One that has learned to stop asking for
more, more, more
and instead simply rests in the arms of
love, love, love.
My hurry and stress come from that want of more. I want to do more, be more, pack more in to these few short days. Then it seems God whispers to my heart, "Enough. You are enough. You have enough. In the middle of the busy, make a quiet place inside and stay with me. My love is what you really need."
I settle, quiet down, breathe a sigh of relief.
The miracle of Christmas?
God came for us so we could come to Him.
Even in the busy, broken, chaos of our lives.
'Tis the season to be still.  

Just for one day... slow down.

Today I'm especially thankful for...
each one reading these words,
the feel of snow in the wind,
the laughter of friends,
the grace that keeps me going,
the whispered prayers you've heard,
the feeling of waking up from a nap,
the smell of  fresh coffee,
the goodness of home here...
and the hope of Home forever with you there.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

What's one thing you're grateful for today?

A New Thanksgiving Day..........

Thanksgiving is a time when we reflect and think of everything with which we have been blessed.
But, it's not a celebratory time for everybody. For some of us, it will never be the same.
There will be an empty seat because death came for them too soon.
An empty seat because one found another table at which to celebrate.
A clean plate set but not used that represents the child that has decided family is no longer a priority.
A silent phone because family doesn't speak-- thinking they'll have another year to fix it.
A place not set for family too geographically distant to attend.
Suddenly, this year...we notice that things will never be the same.
I think back to the Thanksgiving days of my early childhood. I would enter through the back door of my grandmother's house while the wonderful aroma saturated the kitchen. The house was full. The tables were set. We could not begin until every one arrived. Uncle Kenny always the last one in. They'd bluster in with grand laughter, wild hugs and stories of  "how come".
The smell of mince pie and sweet potatoes tempted me to enter and get a taste of what awaited. But, we waited...knowing it would be worth it. Being the youngest grandchild for almost 11 years, I got to fix my plate first and sit at the kitchen table located closest to the food covered in colorful fiestaware. I always got to choose my own colors and they didn't have to match!  That was in stark contrast to the grown up's table covered in fine English linen, translucent china, crystal and shining silver.  This was Thanksgiving.
Year after year, the landscape of family changed. New faces were added. We mourned the loss of empty chairs and celebrated the additions of high chairs and card tables for extra seating and younger grandchildren. Every year different.
Then, I remember the first year that my grandparents were not there. My heart ached that day when we gathered around the table to give thanks. No longer around her table, no longer with the big family, different.  I knew it would never be the same.
But, the older I get, the more I realize, that even in the "never be the same" days, there are treasures to be mined out and enjoyed in the midst of different.
True. The faces have changed. But, let's not miss the faces that are gathered now.
True. Life has changed. But, let's not look forward to the end of the day and miss the living of this day. The dishes will wait.
True. It will never be the same. However, truth of the matter is, it never has been. We have to create new delights as we retell the old stories.
So, let's squeeze all of the life we can out of  Thanksgiving  day  knowing that God has created even this day and still has plenty for us to enjoy.

Blessings this day and every day. 

Are you always 'fine' ??

I just don't have to say "I'm Fine." anymore..........

I read those words on a day when I wanted to pull the covers back over my head. Surely I'm the only one who ever has those days.
And then there it is...
"I believed in you, so I said, 'I am deeply troubled, Lord.' " Ps 116:10
I think of how I might say it...
"I believe in you, so I said, 'I'm fine, just fine, Lord.' " 
A smile starts to catch the corner of my lips. I laugh at myself a little, at how I imagine the G-d who spoke the world into being can't handle my emotions--all of them. 
So I climb out of bed and tell Him how I feel afraid and wonder if I have what it takes. I tell Him I wish I had more courage, more love, more time and energy. I tell Him all of it all day long.
I don't fake a smile.
I don't pretend it's okay. 
Because I believe in Him.
It's an act of faith, like a child running to her father and saying, "Daddy, it hurts!" What father would turn away? Not ours.
I climbed into bed that night, tuck the sheets in around me, lay my head on the same pillow where it rested when I first read those words. I drift to sleep not fearing monsters under my bed (or inside my head) because I'm covered by grace and I know that He knows. 
All of it.
On days like this, it seems the sweetest miracle isn't that I believe in Him.
It's that He--impossibly, stubbornly--believes in me.

When I feel overwhelmed............

Demands knock on my door.

Burdens beckon me to answer.
The to-do list stretches for miles.
I whisper, "I feel overwhelmed."
And in the stillness it seems I hear...
"Child, open your heart to Me instead of the demands of the day. Lay those burdens at My feet, not on your shoulders.
Let go of your list and dare to embrace My grace.
I do not require you to be overwhelmed.
I enable you to overcome.
And with Me, you always will."

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Do it anyway...

I don't know why I feel this fear, can't name it although I'm certain of its source. It wants me to stop...
but I'm going to do it anyway.
I'm not sure of the next step, can't see past the bend in the road. Uncertainty tells me to slow down...
but I'm moving ahead anyway.
I wonder if I really have what it takes, if I'll stumble and fall. Insecurity tells me to hold back...
but I'm taking a leap of faith anyway.
Anyway.
I've been fighting that word.
I've been waiting for everything to be safe, perfect, for me to be all I should be.
And then today, God whispers to my heart, "Just go anyway."
It's enough.
He is enough.
We can do it anyway
because we have the One who's the Way right by our side.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2
Let's pray for each other.

We are never alone............

LOVE is with you.
He knows your name.
He numbers the hairs on your head.
He records the cares in your heart.
Every morning, He's by your side.
Every night, He watches over you as you sleep.
There's never a moment you're not in His thoughts...
never a day you're not in His care.
"You're not on your own,"
He whispers to your heart,
"You're forever my own."
No matter what.

Scars............ we all have them.............

Rev. Dorothy-Yorke Alloway, Ph. D. ©1996

“Scars are proof we have lived”,

My friend states through a smile sweet as sugarplums

When I challenged him to a game of ‘you show me yours I’ll show you mine.’

He goes first pointing to a crescent on his chin.

At seven he decided he could fly.

Soaring into the air from his chair

he plummeted to the floor.

Six stitches, crumpled dignity and a burnished behind.

“That all you have?” I teased.

Taking off his kidskin shirt

I saw a long craggy zipper from wrist to elbow.

He said it was for love.

His first sweetheart called it quits.

A window yielded to his grief.

Turning I saw the constellations

between his shoulder blades

Left behind by the meteor showers

His father churned into his flesh

every day for so many years.

He asked for mine.

I have but one.

I keep my hair long to cover it.

My face flushed at the story.

At sixteen I got the measles,

missed the senior dance,

cried for days.

That’s it.

As I raised my hand to expose

The cruel divot on my temple

His hand cradled mine to a halt

Whispering, “that must have really hurt.”

Maybe you can trust a man who feels your wounds.

Has anyone told you lately how amazing you are?

It's about time you heard it again.
I hear you saying, "Who me?"
I'm saying right back, "Yep, you."
You...
the one doing your thing,
making your difference,
being a glorious mess
that God can use.
You...
getting back up
when you fall down,
trying again
when it doesn't work out... 
Yep... YOU!
Wonderful YOU!!

We make a difference!

I've been thinking of you right there in the
middle of the ordinary...
changing diapers, writing reports,
driving, cleaning, selling, changing tires,
sitting in meetings, teaching, smiling through the pain
and always praying and blessing.
Ordinary is hard for me.
Is it ever hard for you?
I like the new.
The exciting.
And yet it seems God has been whispering that
I need to look at the ordinary with new eyes.
Stuff is ordinary... we are not!!
That all that small is really BIG.
And what we do every day
matters more than we know,
more than we see.
We are making a difference.
We deserve to be applauded--
for just digging in, doing what we do,
keeping at it no matter what.
So from the bottom of my heart...
THANK YOU.......... for enduring and for all you do.


(I've a feeling Someone Who Loves You is grateful too.)

In Be Tween....

I'm thinking of you today.

Maybe in a cubicle, a car,
back of a room, middle of a crowd.
I see you in my mind's eye.
And I smile, wave, walk over,
ask how life is going.
Maybe you say...
Fine or Good or Hard.
Or all of the above.
I nod.
Because I know.
I keep waiting for the part
where life is clearer, more straightforward.
But it seems it's always this glorious mess of laughter and tears all wrapped up together.
I read these words this morning...
Her desert will blossom like Eden,
her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord.
It's God talking about His people.
And I thought of how we're all in that place of dry and blossoming...
we're all in between Edens.
The one that was and the one God is remaking in our lives--
to be completed in eternity.
And all the while He's leading us back to joy.
Let's meet for coffee.


Where?


Somewhere in the middle.


After all, it's the place where we all live.  

Stop enabling your past into your present.............

The past is as powerless to darken the present moment, as is a shadow to reach up and drag down the form that casts it.
The truth about the past is simply that it has passed. This means that our experience of each moment -- for its pleasure or pain, peace or trouble -- is a direct reflection of what we are in relationship with in the present.

Our attention connects us to life; it establishes our relationships with all that unfolds around and within us. Our experience of life reflects these relationships just as a rainbow reveals the different colors of light. This means that, whenever resentment or regret darkens our day, there's only one reason for our sorrow: we've been tricked into revisiting and reforming an unconscious relationship with some misery-making moment from our past. We've simply made a bad connection within ourselves, due to a temporary lapse of attention.

If it helps, think of troubling times like these as your having been distracted while taking a long walk through the city. Maybe you were caught up with thinking about the "good old days!" Then you suddenly realize that, in your dream state, you've wandered by mistake into a dangerous neighborhood where you know that bad things happen all the time. What do you do? Do you stand there and hate yourself for having sleepwalked into a nightmare? Of course not! Awake now to the danger you've put yourself in -- and just get out of there!

We can call on this same simple action whenever our attention wanders and takes us into the bad neighborhood of our painful past. In other words, if the resentful or regret-laden state we're feeling is due to a bad connection, we just deliberately disconnect ourselves from that dark thought by realizing where we are and how we got there. By reclaiming our attention -- by bringing ourselves back into the present moment -- we are released from our unconscious relationship with the past, putting its pain behind us, where it belongs. There's nothing more to it than that -- other than to enjoy how good it feels to be free.

Sweet wisdom...........

"I am building myself. There are many roots. I plant, I pick, I prune. I consume."
--Wendy Rose, HOPI/MIWOK




The most sacred thing on this Mother Earth is life. My life on this earth is
governed by God's laws, principles, and spiritual values. These things are
my roots. Let me see Your gifts of growing and becoming a spiritual warrior.
Make my strength based on values - spiritual values; on principles and laws,
the laws of God that really run the universe. We need to realize the seeds
we plant in the spring will be what shows up in our summer season of growth
and will be the fruits that we will harvest in our fall season. We really
have a lot to do with what shows up in our lives.

Great Spirit, let my seed that I plant today be based on values that will
make You pleased with my selection.

You can do this!

Sometimes the journey is a little longer and the way a little steeper than we imagined.

And we sit right down and say,
"I thought I could do this."
You can, girl, you can.
Get back up.
Stand tall.
Look behind you and see how far you've come.
Look ahead and remember where you're going.
Look next to you and see Who's with you. Then take that step.
Just a small one.
Just the next one.
Then another.
That's all it takes.
Not perfection. Just perseverance.
Not speed. Just stubborness.
You're doing well. You're going to make it.
You've got more strength than you know,
and we're cheering with Him, "Go, girl, go!" 

thank you, Ann !!!!

That thing you do...

Oh, it seems like a small thing.

Like anyone could.
Like anyone would.
But that's not true--
we need you.

Sometimes you wonder if it matters...it does.
Sometimes you question if it can make a difference...it will.
Sometimes you worry it might not be enough...it is.

That thing you do?
It's not really so small at all.
It's important. It's valuable.
And you know what?
The Big Guy wants you to know...

You are too.

The master was full of praise. "Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!" Matthew 25:21

Heart Hugs

There's no such thing...


There's no such thing as happily ever after...just imperfect, glorious people finding their way together.


There's no such thing as the yellow brick road...just twisty-turny paths to unexpected, inexplicable dreams.


There's no such thing as the perfect day...just the ordinary and sacred all mixed into every moment.


There's no such thing as the ideal you...just who you are, flawed and loved, broken and blessed.


There's just one thing that frees us from our fairy tales and unrealistic expectations, that helps us find the joy right in the middle of what we already have.

Grace.

And it's as good and real as the One who gives it.

Yeesh... the UMC has gone daft.

What is it about a teensy bit of power that drives some people insane !?  That is, of course, rhetorical. But--- Yeesh !  The Upper New York Conference of the UM is devoid of conscience and filled with hypocritical nonsense.  No wonder people leave churches and never return. Small wonder great Pastors are fleeing. No wonder main line denominations are falling into bankruptcy.  They are driving the "numbers" with people who are bankrupt of any heart or spirit.  But of course that is simply my opinion and like noses we all have one.  What about you?

The Gentle Art of Blessing !

“Blessing, at least after the initial learning, and often right from the start, is full of rest. In the midst of the worst tempest, when your lifeboat is rocking wildly, it will calm the waves and you will discover a deep, deep repose.” - Pierre Pradervand, from The Gentle Art of Blessing

Blessing is such a simple practice one wonders why everyone doesn’t do it. It doesn’t require special training or equipment. You need not kneel before an altar or light a candle or recite scripture in order for a blessing to work. No particular faith is required and you don’t need to belong to a certain church or sect. Nothing is required at all, in fact, except your willingness to imagine the highest and best for the person, circumstance or thing being blessed. It’s that simple. Just a little willingness to think a higher thought and a blessing is dispatched.


To follow the Blessing Way Path, you only need to be willing to bless. That sounds so easy, doesn’t it? And in reality it is easy. But sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. That’s because life has conditioned us to fight our enemy instead of bless him, and while few would admit it, most of us consider anything we disagree or disapprove of as an enemy of sorts. As a deeply spiritual expression of unconditional love and acceptance, when it comes loving and accepting those people and things we have previously thought to be unlovable and unacceptable, blessing can quite naturally begin to feel like the most difficult thing one could possibly do.


After all, what are we supposed to do we do when someone makes us angry or a situation is turning out badly and we feel far more inclined to stress than to bless? What are we supposed to do when we are being attacked and the urge to retaliate is so strong we can almost taste it? What are we supposed to do when the idea of blessing a particular person, circumstance or thing seems like the least appropriate action we could possibly take?

What are we supposed to do? We’re supposed to bless anyway. That’s what.

We’re supposed to plant our feet firmly on the Blessing Way Path and start moving forward even when it feels that’s the very last thing we should do. Even when we’re being attacked and every thought in our head screams retaliation. Even when everyone tells us we need to fight back, or condemn, or curse, or at the very least, disregard. Even when we think we can’t possibly… We bless anyway.

We take responsibility for our lives and recognize that whoever or whatever we might be dealing with at any given moment was attracted to us by us as a way of helping us to learn, to love, and return to the reality of our Beingness. No matter how awful, how disturbing or how distasteful any person or circumstance might be, its purpose for being present in our lives is to benefit us in some way. Once we incorporate that Truth into our thinking process, the changes begin. We begin to appreciate, opening ourselves to our own blessedness as at the same time, we open our hearts to the blessedness of others.

And as we push past our resistance and bless anyway, an amazing thing happens. Our lives begin to change for the better. As we focus on blessing others, our lives our blessed.


For the cost of a simple blessing, our lives are forever changed.

Tomatoes in Heaven........

Please tell me there will be Jersey Big Boys in Heaven!!!

This uses real bagels... the large deli kind not those make believe packaged things.

Cut a bagel in half.  Scoop out some of the inside--- just put some butter or cream cheese on that and savor it while making the recipe.

fill the hollowed out part with any yummy crumbly cheese.  I mix feta and blue but I've also used Chevre
then add fat slices of your succulent, red, Jersey big boys and a sprinkle of sea salt and green chili sauce
top with shaved roasted pork loin (oh, so thin) and cracked pepper.
top with your favorite slice of cheese (optional)
then grill or broil a few seconds.

OMGosh------- serve with homemade bread and butter pickles, circles of new cucumber and fat mugs of dark coffee or Scottish tea.

I wrote about having bagels and tomato in my book.  It's on of my favorite scenes.

You are going to love this!!!   Send your thank you cards to me  :))

Wisdon of the ages... or is that aged?

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I will meet you there.” ~Rumi
My pastures are edged by dark woods. I can see it from my study table, and often while seated there, will catch some motion only to look out the window just in time to see deer moving from the woods into the sunny openness of the cleared spaces. Heads held high, nostrils testing the air, ears keen to every sound and muscles tensed, these beautiful animals approach the pastures warily, even the lure of sweet, lush grass unable to override their sense of caution.

While watching the deer today, it occurred to me that we humans behave much the same way when we first consider forgiving those who have hurt us. Like the deer, we approach with great caution, certain that in deciding to let go of our pain, we are putting ourselves at risk. It is our hunger for peace and happiness, however, that beckons us, pulling us past our wariness, into the bright, warm light of this field of love.

As we venture forth into the forgiveness field we begin to understand that forgiving is not something we do for someone else, but a gift we give ourselves. We realize almost immediately that the field is not as fraught with danger as we had feared, nor as filled with complexities as we had assumed. It is, instead, simplicity itself, as simple as stepping first from darkness into dappled shade, and from there into the light of a brand new day.


If the deer never emerged from the dark woods into the bright openness of the field, they might survive, but they would have to adapt to do so. We also adapt when we refuse to come out of the darkness of pain and fear and into the light of love. We harden and become bitter, as inwardly we adjust to the futility of our thinking. The longer we cling to our fears, pain of disillusionment and our hatreds, the more heavy and out of balance we feel. It is only in letting go that we return to center.


We each have our own reasons for not forgiving those who have hurts us. Those who've been so insensitive it takes our breath away. Those who have failed our expectations. Those who have betrayed our trust and wounded our spirit. And many times the reasons are so valid, so totally understandable that the entire world rallies around us and supports us in our unwillingness to forgive. In truth, however, unforgiveness can never be validated because it keeps us from the light of grace. And since that is what we are made of it is, in essence, keeping us from our true self.


Forgiving you is not a difficult as most would think. It is as much an act of imagination as it is anything, It dares us to think of a brighter future, one where no boundaries of right and wrong exist, but only openness and the freedom to be who we truly are.

Perhaps most importantly, though, it allows us to go to a place in our hearts where unkind, thoughtless comments, pain and suffering are

no longer allowed to have the final word.

I forgive you.

A thought.............

"When you remove love and try to replace it with monetary things, you have nothing ...
understand that you must love yourself before you can love anything else." --John Peters (Slow Turtle), WAMPANOAG
 
It is said, "Love thy neighbor as thyself."       
                                               
                                                    That's the trouble, most of us do.

Ruby, ruby..........

Happy Birthday Baby !!!

Zucchini wars...

WHO... thought zucchini and dark chocolate needed to be in the same sentence let alone the same bowl???
In spite of the zucchiniphiles' attempt to disguise the prolific garden disturbance. " they're heeeeeer"  !!

May as well try to find some use for them other than goat fodder.  So here goes.

DARK CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE:

INGREDIENTS
3 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, softened
3/4 cup organic sugar, or less, according to taste
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini or summer squash


1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan and dust with some unsweetened cocoa powder.
2. Melt the chocolate along with the oil in a double boiler or in a saucepan over low heat, taking care not to scorch.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium mixing bowl.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, beating until combined, then fold in the chocolate and oil mixture, and the zucchini.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes on a wire rack, then invert it on the rack, remove the pan, and cool completely.
5. May be served plain, iced with your favorite icing, dusted with organic confectioners’ sugar, or with fresh raspberries nestled around it.

Nothing infuriates evil as much as being seen for what it is.

It's vital to understand that angels and devils exist and are always hard at work around us. This fact is no cause for fear, for while their subtle bodies are invisible, their activities are not. The forces of good and evil can easily be seen working their ways in and through human beings; for it is within us that these levels of light and darkness mold life on earth in their image.
Angelic forces are for you in every sense of the word. They are for your physical health, emotional happiness, mental development, and entrance into their own eternal, light-filled realm. Devils want you to think that those forces they wield are also for you. But these dark forces are always against you because devils, by their very nature, are against everything -- including themselves!
Your protection from devils and their dark, deceptive ways is within your ability to recognize them as devils. This specialized power of perception comes to you first in the form of an intuitive recognition: a blend of insight and past experience. Now let's see how to call upon and consciously cultivate this important new power.


Learn to look for signs of the devil at work by staying alert and awake to where it is that devils most commonly like to delight themselves. Then, when suspecting the presence of these dark forces at work -- regardless of where, or in whom you catch such a glimpse, work to meet these moments without fear, righteousness, or condemnation. Your action works just like a celestial beacon, attracting higher angelic forces to your side. And since angels have complete authority over devils, not only is your complete safety assured, but so is the growth of your spiritual strength. Why? Because each time you stand up to the devil in this way, it becomes increasingly clear to you that the only power darkness has is in the absence of the Light.
 
Thanx Dave.

David Whyte........... a genius

Everything is Waiting for You



Your great mistake is to act the drama
as if you were alone. As if life
were a progressive and cunning crime
with no witness to the tiny hidden
transgressions. To feel abandoned is to deny
the intimacy of your surroundings. Surely,
even you, at times, have felt the grand array;
the swelling presence, and the chorus, crowding
out your solo voice. You must note
the way the soap dish enables you,
or the window latch grants you freedom.
Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.
The stairs are your mentor of things
to come, the doors have always been there
to frighten you and invite you,
and the tiny speaker in the phone
is your dream-ladder to divinity.


Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into
the conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves.

Everything is waiting for you.
-- David Whyte

Opinions are like..................

...........noses.  We all have one.

So what is yours?  To Mosque or not to Mosque.  That is the question. Please feel free to add your honest comments and thoughts.  Remember--- it is still a free country.  We Americans do have the freedom of................................Opinions  !!

Because I can...

You Don't Wear The Bells Today?



Cool metal gliding on soft curves makes a tantalizing sound, yes?


Imperceptible to the human ear, baffled in layers of silk and


brushed rayon, tiny silver bells bobbed all day.


First up the hall, then back down.


Each step tapping a staccato message on my yesteryear.


Wooing, "remember me... remember me ?"


The sound was for me--- to remind me.


He heard.

All day a quiet smile danced around his bordeaux lips his head popping


from doorways and around corners with a boyish sparkle.


A week passed and time soared before I saw him again.


His dark brown eyes were tinged with a smoldering glint.


Those generous lips teasing smiles from every angle.


'Midst flushed cheeks and flashes of light he spoke softly, for my


ears only , "... you don't wear the bells today?"


I could barely respond... "perhaps tomorrow."


Oh, my! Dust off your slippers, my dear, the dance has begun.

Cowgirl Cookies

A cool crisp day in the forest beckons me to bake--- A Navajo friend gave me this recipe.  It is soooo
yummy!!

COWGIRL COOKIES

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

16 Tbsp butter (2 sticks)

Grated zest of one orange

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

2 1/2 cups oatmeal rolled oats (Quaker Quick or Old Fashioned, do not use instant)

2/3 cup DARK chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup raisins ( dark or golden)
********************************************************
1 Center rack in oven and preheat to 375°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment or Silpats. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.


2 Combine granulated sugar with grated orange zest, set aside.


3 Heat ten tablespoons butter in small saucepan, place remaining 6 tablespoons butter in large mixing bowl. When butter is nicely browned and has a nutty aroma, pour over the remaining butter and mix until all butter is completely melted.


4 Add the granulated sugar and orange, brown sugar, vanilla and salt to the butter and whisk until combined. Add the egg and egg yolk. Whisk for thirty seconds and let stand for three minutes, repeat this process twice more until mixture is thick and shiny, this will enhance the flavor and texture of the cookies.


5 Working with the stand mixer, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Mix until fully incorporated. Add in the oatmeal, chocolate chips, raisins and nuts and mix well.


6 Spoon dough in 4 Tbsp balls onto baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-11 minutes, until the edges just turn brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a rack to cool completely. 16 big cookies or 32 regular cookies--- adjust size of dough and cooking time.
 
 
 
 
 

Rabid Wolves..........

Trying to change ourselves in order to please others -- so that we can feel temporarily whole for having won their approval -- is like cutting a flower into pieces so that it will fit into a vase.

It is our fear of being alone and in doubt, of wanting to feel certain that what we are doing is right, that compels us to seek the approval of others.  So this tells us that the chief cause of why our lives so often wind up in the hands of others is not that they are superior or that the world is too strong for us, but that we don't want to face the uncertainty and aloneness we think we are too weak to bear. This is the real cause of all of our wrong relationships in life. We have been betrayed by a belief in our own weakness.
The conscious refusal to go along with what our weakness wants us to do to escape its uncertainty is what invokes and finally delivers real inner confidence. This new kind of strength gradually becomes the cornerstone of a true individual existence -- the life we've always wanted. The stakes are actually eternal --
but self-victory is as certain as the fact that light always triumphs over darkness.

Use the following insights to help strengthen your understanding of these vital ideas. Think about them; welcome their healing insights as "lights along the way" to true self-liberation.

When you don't know what to do with yourself, someone will always be happy to tell you.
Why seek the approval of someone who doesn't even approve of himself?

Fawning before an angry person is like asking a rabid wolf for its approval.
The more approval you get, the more you have to have.
Keeping any person or circumstance in your life that demands you surrender your right to be a whole and happy human being is wrong for everyone involved.

When you are out standing in a storm, don't blame the weather.

Real strength always follows uncovering one of the roots of weakness.

Don't seek yourself. Dare to be yourself.

Permitting your life to be taken over by another person is like letting the waiter eat your dinner.
No human being has any authority over you. Your life belongs to you and to you alone. No scowling face or irritated manner, no challenging posture or threatening tone, has any power to make you feel nervous or anxious, frightened or angry. Your true nature answers to no one. This is a fact, and anyone who is tired of letting someone else tell them how to feel can use this self-liberating principle to win true and lasting independence.

"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for is the greatest poverty of all." - Mother Teresa

"Do you want to be healed?"

Genuine spiritual happiness and strength dawns within us once we realize that passing dark clouds are as powerless to dim the sun in the sky, as is morning dew to diminish the color of newly blossomed flowers!!



We have yet to recognize the fact that our thinking about any painful event as something real, solid and unavoidable is one of the conditions that perpetuate it. Take one thing out of the conjunction, and it is no longer the same event. When we stop giving our life energy to any moment which seems overpowering, it loses its illusion of power. In that moment is also lost our prior belief that we have to submit to its punishment. Because of our new understanding, we can see through our suffering instead of through its eyes. And what a world of difference this difference makes!


What we see is that our perception produces what we experience, and our experience is made up of many different small elements that by themselves mean nothing. When our perception combines and organizes these events, and connects itself to them through an expectation or desire, the thing takes on a kind of life. It appears to us as a whole, dark, permanent entity that has the power to hurt us, but it isn't that at all. It's only a conjunction of events that has conditional dependence, and the primary condition that gives it power is our perception. When all these conditions are stirred up and "baked in a cake," that cake has reality to us. But in fact, the cake is made up of individual facts that will simply pass if we let them.


Can you see what good news this is for those of us who wish to free ourselves from false suffering and find the higher life? It means that all those conditions that seemed so real and painful are just the creation of faulty perception. Our belief that the event had the power to hurt us is what made it so punishing and continued its existence, but now we understand that if the events are left to themselves, they must move on. The expression "This too shall pass" is now revealed in all its wisdom. Every temporary conjunction of events must pass as long as we don't keep it going through our own thoughts.


Now that we know negative events are not powerful in themselves, we can turn away from what we perceive as permanent punishment toward what can be called permanent pleasure. This is the same thing as turning toward Truth.


Everything passes. There is great beauty in this, both in the passing of pain and in the passing of pleasure. When things present themselves to you as permanent, don't believe it. Exercise a reasonable doubt. Discover from your own experience that the negative event that seems so overwhelming is not the power it presents itself to be.


When we go beyond the places where we have become numb, we feel life again. When we learn to feel again, we can heal.


Jesus asked the question, "Do you want to be healed?"
John 5:1-18

Thursday, Thursday.....

....or is that Monday, Monday? Does it really matter? There's a chill in the air and the horses are beginning to get fuzzy.  I used to think that was because it was getting chilly.  Not so.  They start putting on winter fuzz when the sun gets closer to the horizon! It signals the season change and so "fuzz" starts growing.  Isn't that amazing? Well, I find that amazing but I am easily amazed by those sort of  'natural' phenomena. When the horse was created it was programmed to protect itself during colder temperatures. My herd sheds out when the sun starts to creep up higher on/from the horizon. Wakan, The Creator, thought of everything.  Amazing.
Find something that amazes you today.

A thought

Clinging to a handful of anxious, worried thoughts that promise to protect you from what they point to as needing to be feared, is like wrapping your arms around the anchor of a sinking ship because it's all that's left on deck for you to hang on to.

What are we actually talking about when we speak of letting go? After all, no one wants to let go of something that has proven itself to be satisfying! Whatever it is that we wish to let go of must be something from which we wish to be free. This may be unpleasant or troubling relationships, a problem-filled past or fearful future, any form of addiction, recent painful events -- or any of those disturbing thoughts and feelings about these same troubling things that we no longer want in our lives.

The truth is that troubles like these come with being human. We all know how it feels to want to let go. The problem is that wanting to let go, and actually being able to, is still light years apart for most of us. But it need not remain this way. The gulf can be sealed permanently once we understand that all that separates us from our intention to let go are those mistaken ideas we carry around about the nature of what’s actually weighing us down. This is why we need new and higher self-knowledge.

For instance, no thing in itself -- no event, no relationship, no regret-filled thought or feeling -- has any real weight of its own with which to pull us down. The nature of what really weighs on us is something altogether different. This can help to explain a deep mystery: Why is it that regardless of everything we do in our exterior life to rid ourselves of this or that problem, person, or contrary condition, we have yet to genuinely shake ourselves free? The answer begins with this next insight.

The real act of letting go is first an interior action, followed, if needful, by a wiser exterior action. After all, what is it that binds us if not where we are blind to some unconscious need to either maintain or keep forming these painful attachments? To see the truth of these findings is to realize why there can be no substitute for self-illumination. After all, no one frees themselves by laying down with one hand what they unknowingly cling to with the other! This explains why the aim of all true spiritual teachings has always had a dual purpose: 1) to reveal to us that no condition in our life exists apart from the consciousness responsible for its continuing creation, and 2) to bring the light of this higher self-knowledge into the unexamined darkness of our consciousness so that we no longer make the mistake of clinging to anything that compromises our integrity.