Hope

Here we are this evening poised at the edge where the years collide with one another. We are reminiscent of what took place in 2007 and hopeful when ringing in 2008. Some of us will be sad to see 2007 go and others will be glad and look forward to a new beginning in 2008. For me personally, I have some things to be thankful for in 2007 but am one of the ones looking forward to a new beginning in 2008 and I don’t want to carry over those things I had difficulty with in 2007 that I still need to learn even though I know it doesn’t work that way. I’m looking forward to a fresh new beginning – no diets, no resolutions – just being free and appreciating life on this path I have chosen. It has not been an easy road and I know a lot of it I’ve made harder for myself when I could have chosen differently.

In 2008, I want to continue to feel love for myself the way God feels love for me; to continue learning my full potential and shine in it and not shrug and make excuses for it; to live in the realization that I am a creation of God and to express that in the best way I know how. I have hope in this new beginning. I know there are those of you around the world who are experiencing a gamut of changes on the crest of this New Year. And some of you may need some hope in the process. There is a beautiful little story about Hope called 4 Candles(copyright by Flowgo.com) - after you click on hyperlink be sure to scroll down to the bottom in that site and click on movie. I had lost the link to this story and am thankful to be able to find it again on this site at John Mark Ministries. Sometimes, when we feel like we’ve lost it all, this little movie clip is a reminder that as long as we have Hope we can always rekindle Peace, Faith, and Love. It only takes a kind word or gesture to give us hope and make us feel like we count. Unfortunately, when we’re in those states when we need hope the most, our thoughts and feelings are not aligned with all that’s possible. That’s when we need each other’s help.

So, as this New Year rings in this evening be happy, be hopeful for all the new possibilities and share that hope with someone. You might be the one spark they needed to begin 2008! Happy New Year – be safe and may you all be blessed with all that God has for you!

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Courage

It takes courage to be real and authentic. It takes courage to live the life you have chosen and to not step to the same steps as others around you. As I was writing this post, I was reminded, again, of something I had been putting off. It was to send an e-mail sharing with someone an experience I had over 25 years ago. I had been avoiding it because I didn’t want to face another rejection or someone making light of it or excusing it away as had happened so many times before. But, when I sat down and started on the first couple sentences of this post, I was reminded to send this e-mail again and I decided to just do it.

I’m not sure that really qualifies as courage in light of people all around the world standing up and putting their lives on the line for a cause they believe in. But, on the gentler side, courage is living this life everyday. It’s courage getting up every morning when that alarm goes off to go to work to bring in an income. It’s courage when a mother is tending to a sick child and hasn’t gotten much sleep. It takes courage just driving down the freeway. And, it’s courage when you’re willing to get in touch with yourself and give up old habits and old beliefs that are no longer serving you.

People all over are courageous in the large ways and in the small ways. It may not make headlines but, in the little things, the love and attention you bring to it are no small miracle.

It takes courage to face some of the challenges brought our way and to grow and learn from the experience of just being alive. I believe that when we’re met with a challenge we’re also given the ability, knowledge and strength to see it through. Some of us may wonder how some do it. When they connect to their source, it all seems to be a little bit easier. There’s hope. There’s a way.

I’m reminded of a poem written by Oriah Mountain Dreamer called, “The Invitation”. Maybe you’ve read it. She was going through a difficult time and went to a party seeking someone she could talk to on a deeper level. She was looking for someone that would be genuine. She was disappointed and came home late that night and sat down at a table and wrote this poem. Sometimes, we want people to be real and that’s what this poem expresses - the hunger to connect with someone who is also seeking value and worth.

Give yourselves credit for what you do on a daily basis. It takes courage and I’m sure that whatever life hands to you, you’ll be there in a heartbeat to answer the call.

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Gratitude

With Thanksgiving earlier this year and now being in the season of giving and receiving, it may also be a good time to reflect again on how blessed we are. I’ll be noting some things in this posting to be grateful for and as you read on you may also add some things of your own.

Laughter – joy – family – peace!
Wind, rain, sunshine, snow!

Instead of always looking around at what we don’t have. We need to make time to seriously look at what we have and be thankful. Have you ever noticed how your attitudes change when you consciously choose to be grateful for all the little things around you?

Love – health – homes – work!
Eyes, ears, nose, mouth!

At first, because we’re changing modes and looking at what we have been blessed with, it may be hard to start rattling off a list of things to be thankful for. After you’ve mentioned the obvious things, you have to start to think. This is good because we’re giving it our full attention.

Children – nature – sun – atmosphere!
Clothes, food, water, heat!

You notice how you feel inside when you’re in an attitude of gratitude? It’s like there are no problems in the world. It feels peaceful and calm and safe. You just want to stay there.

Seeing – hearing – smelling – tasting!
Husband, wife, mother, father!

When you feel calm and peaceful you’re energy is high and you’re in a pure place where the law of attraction is in operation.

Walking – talking – running – jumping!
Friends, co-workers, class-mates, neighbors!

By putting ourselves in an attitude of gratitude, we are focusing on the positives and not the negatives. By focusing on the blessings we realize the possibilities.

Hands – legs – fingers – toes!
Hair, clothes, shoes, toys!

The list could go on and on but the point is to change our focus and feel in our hearts what we truly have been blessed with. It’s not just things like I’ve listed above; it’s our nature and strengths and abilities. Each one of us is writing our own personal story with our own unique setting and characters and how we interact and learn and grow is how we tell the story. Along the way, we are blessed and it’s not something we can hold onto. It’s meant to flow and move on and bless the next person and so on. Blessings are moving things with a life and energy that are meant to love and heal.

Healing – intelligence – strength!
Embrace – fortitude – persistence!
Unconditional love – patience – endurance!
Will power – faith – kindness – light worker!
Liberty – freedom – country – community!

Now, where did you get all those things? You are a wonderful creation with powers and abilities yet to be discovered. The divine knows who you are and you have been blessed beyond your wildest imagination! Let’s be thankful!

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Unconditional Love

We all have people in our lives that we love and love us. Do you ever stop to think if there are conditions of love that you have placed on the ones you love or vice versa? In turn, are there conditions we have to meet before we are loved by those in our lives we want to love us? I think we put these conditions in place automatically without giving it much thought. It’s not something we consciously realize that we even do. In fact, I would be willing to bet without knowing it you may have put your own conditions on love. It’s so subtle that it’s hardly noticeable except to the person you love.

Relationships, for example, are supposed to be partnerships. But how many times do we point the finger at our partner blaming him/her for not following through on their part – or disappointing us in some way? When things aren’t going the way we want them to our loved ones seem to be the first to catch it all. I’m reminded of something the famous singer, James Taylor, said in an interview last weekend on a program called Sunday Morning. He said, “Unconditional love can melt the hardest rock.” I never heard it put quite that way but in just a few words he captured it perfectly having had some rocky relationships himself and problems with substance abuse. All the times that it may have been pointed out to him, “How he was ruining his life”, or “How he was going to lose everything if he didn’t straighten out”, didn’t seem to work - except unconditional love. Our hearts are hard when we know we’re messing up and we’re not doing all of what we’re supposed to be doing. We don’t want anyone pointing it out to us. We wouldn’t hear it. We only hear the tapes going on in our heads all the time, anyway.

So, how does someone love unconditionally? How do you love this way without being brought down or sometimes physically hurt in the process? When you accept their behavior are you enabling them to continue on the same path? This is a conundrum to me. I don’t know the best course of action to take and still love unconditionally. When you have a pet, that animal loves you unconditionally and accepts you no matter what mood you’re in. They’ll leave you alone if they sense they could be in danger and keep loving you from a distance. I don’t think it’s on the same level as with humans because of our thought processes but on a simpler level there’s something to be learned.

The conclusion I’ve made is that I believe unconditional love only works with the guidance and insight from God - your Source, Higher Power - whatever label you place on it. When you seek to follow that guidance and listen to your heart, you’ll be shown how to give that unconditional love no matter who you choose to love or what the situation and your ego won’t be involved. Each individual and situation is unique and no one person knows what is going on in a person’s heart and mind and we have to trust on spiritual guidance. No two situations appearing alike can be treated the same.

When I was meditating earlier today, I was able to feel unconditional love. It was gentle and sweet, safe and all encompassing. Have you felt that in your quiet moments of meditation or prayer – or just quiet moments? There’s a presence that knows you from the core of your being and lovingly accepts YOU without recourse. It feels so inviting – so good! You’re accepted totally for who you are not what you’ve done. You may not be receiving what you want in life because what you believe and act on is keeping you from what you want but through it all – you’re loved – bottom line. What you’re wanting is not being withheld from you because you’re not living up to some expectation. We block these gifts and blessings ourselves. This presence only knows who you truly are and your potential and only wants good things for us – loving us unconditionally.

How about loving like that? It’s not as simple as I’ve presented it here; in fact, more could be written, in volumes, and probably has. What are your thoughts today on unconditional love and how have you experienced it and given it?

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Merry Christmas and Greetings!

Merry Christmas and greetings to everyone around the world of all faiths. We send you peace and good tidings from our home to yours. May you have love, joy and glad tidings now and throughout the whole year.

Photo by Ashley Hittinger at www.sxc.hu.home












From the kitchen table - Pat
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More on Inspiration

I talked in an earlier post, "Finding Inspiration", on this topic and wanted to share more. Inspiration can come from a number of ways. This time of year, especially with the music and gathering of loved ones and friends, those warm memories and thoughts are created. But what if you don’t have the external reminders that bring inspiration? What do you draw on then?

Sometimes, it’s just a passing thought and if you catch it and hold it, something can materialize from it and you’ll be amazed at the outcome. I’ll give you an example of inspiration that happened to me.

Back in 2000, I was still working in the corporate world and I was reading a book from Ram Dass entitled, Still Here, which stirred me. I came across a passage where he’s talking about facilitating an Elder Circle through the Omega Institute in New York. He describes it:

“The oldest people in the group sit in a large circle, and the younger people sit just behind them. We use a talking stick, a custom adopted from a Native American tradition, and as they are ready, members of the inner circle can walk to the center, take the talking stick, return to their seats, and share their wisdom with the rest of the group….This is an opportunity for people to share their own wisdom and to contribute it to the collective group wisdom. Many people flower in the richness of this process, as the group becomes aware of how each person holds some part of the complex mosaic that is elder wisdom.”

I read this and had a fleeting thought, “Why not have something like this in the corporate world? We need to be able to talk and ‘flower’.” I mentioned it to my manager and he said to put something together and that evening on the way home on the bus, there I sat in the back writing notes in the back pages of a pocket calendar. My bus ride was 2 hours long with having to change buses in the middle of it all - I kept writing. The thoughts and ideas just kept flowing so much so that it was hard to contain not to mention I was running out of room to write on the pages of that small calendar. By the time I reached my destination, I had a draft outline and that night I put it in a presentation which I gave to my boss the next day. I didn’t think much about it until a couple of days later when he walked passed my desk from a meeting and said, “You’re on the hook!” I followed him into his office and asked him what he meant and he said, “You’re on the hook to give your talking-stick presentation in the next staff meeting tomorrow.” I was nervous and scared but I knew the birth of these talks was a result of acting on this inspiration. You can read another experience on this in my very first posting "Truth and Beauty".

I hope you find inspiration today in whatever you’re doing. That still small voice is poised to whisper in your ear some thought or suggestion that may put you on track for a whole new life. Tune in and enjoy the ride.

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Reflections

All of us have those special moments we reflect on especially during Christmas. You can remember when you were a child and how everything seemed so simple then - so innocent and pure. It was and it’s supposed to be!

I remember one night before Christmas; it was almost time for bed and I was getting excited. I looked out the window in the dark night and looked up in the sky with my face pressed against the cool windowpane searching for Santa. I didn’t see him but I distinctly remember hearing bells jingle as if a sleigh swooshed by overhead. That was all I needed before settling down for bed with my imaginations all aglow. Can you imagine what the children are feeling and remembering right now and how excited they are with anticipation as Christmas gets closer?

There was another time at Christmas, as a child still believing in Santa, when in our neighborhood there was a tradition of Santa coming around in his sleigh on a trailer pulled by a truck. We would watch for it, like the ice cream man, because there would be music playing from speakers and bright lights as he made his way up and down the streets. When we heard the music and knew he was on his way we would don our coats and hats and run out the door. As you made your way up to where the sleigh had stopped and saw Santa sitting there, it was like a dream. There in the cool, crisp night looking up at Santa, waiting your turn, you felt like all your prayers were answered. Then, when your turn came and you stepped up on the truck and sat on his lap and told him what you wanted for Christmas, it didn’t matter whether you ever got what you asked for or not. You just got to be with Santa. It was magical. I can still remember the sounds, smells and feelings I carried with me through the night and into Christmas day. He then gave you a netted stocking with small toys and candy as you moved your way down letting the next child step up.

What personal reflections do you have this Christmas? How do you remember it? Who were the people you enjoyed it with? Can you remember the excitement – the anticipation? Can you remember going to church, listening to music with the carols being sung depicting the holiness of the season on the eve of Christ’s birth? What would that night have been like over two thousand years ago? How important was that for you? What did you feel as you knelt and prayed?

Yes, it’s a magical time of the year and if you’ve not been as fortunate to have that many memories to draw on, you can start this year to make memories for yourself and whoever will be sharing it with you. If you’re alone this Christmas, know that there’s an intelligence out there that knows right where you’re at – at all times. As I mentioned in a previous post, "Authenticity", Dr. Wayne Dyer quotes from A Course in Miracles something like, “If you knew who walked beside you on this path you have chosen you would never be fearful again.”

This Christmas, as you listen to the sounds of the children giggling and laughing over their new toys, the smells coming from the kitchen as you change channels for another football game, know that no matter what has brought you to this place where you are right now, you’re right where you’re supposed to be. There may be an angel waiting for you to help them get their wings. Listen for the jingle of the bells.

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Giving and Receiving

I touched on this topic last weekend with some of the residents at Morningstar Assisted Living when we talked about “Generosity”.
Down through the years, there have always been people giving and people receiving but the quality of how we give and receive has changed. Also, our attitudes and the value we place on what we give has changed. Perhaps, today, because we live in a culture where products are mass produced, we’re used to getting what we want instantaneously and in the process we lose some of the appreciation.

In the past, the carpenter or cabinet maker that honed their craft and built each item by hand were unique in their style. It took weeks, sometimes months, before it was completed. When it was finished, it was a piece of art. There was no piece exactly alike and the craftsmanship and labor that went into those pieces were greatly appreciated because of the work that was put into it. When you gave or received a gift like this, the attitude was different. You knew what it took to construct that piece and it wasn’t taken lightly.

Today, we have so many choices and very little consideration is taken into the expertise of the craftsmanship. Yes, we want to buy quality work and you can tell by inspection if the work is good or poor but that’s usually where it ends. It’s not just in how we buy our gifts today that is different; it’s that we’ve lost the appreciation or value of these gifts. There’s no way we’d be able to supply the demand if mass production didn’t come into play but something has changed down through the years in why we give and how. We have a shopping list and we check it off as we purchase the items. It’s more of how much I accomplished: with that job now being out of the way – onto what else do I have to do. I know. I’m shopping at Christmas. It can be a horrendous undertaking. What I’m talking about is our attitude with how and what we’re giving….and receiving. There are two sides and I’ve just talked about the giving side. It needs to be balanced.

Don’t you know how excited you get when you’ve found that perfect gift you know your sister or brother will love? It makes you feel good and you can’t wait to give it to them. You watch as they take the package and you anxiously wait as they tear it open. It’s pure joy not only for them but for you. It’s also pure joy for the person receiving that gift and seeing you beam as they open it. They are just as blessed. This is the art of receiving and it is just as important. I would venture to say that for most of us it’s easier to give than to receive. I wonder why that is. Perhaps, it’s a sense of humility or a reflection of self worth. I don’t know but I’ll be noting my reactions. (I’m still thinking about this on a personal note.) But no matter what, how expensive or how large the gift, it’s the spirit and attitude of which it was both given and received - the love that was exchanged. We can teach our children these attitudes by helping them shop or make gifts to give during Christmas and on special occasions throughout the year. Then, they can also learn the spirit of giving not just receiving. They seem to have that receiving thing down pat.

Enjoy this holiday season and take note of the attitudes you place on giving and receiving this year. It will enhance and bless the spirit of the season even more.

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Attachments

I read something this morning that struck me and made me think, particularly at this time of the year when we’re all scurrying around looking for that perfect gift.

Amy Blackmarr in her book, Going to Ground talks about working hard on dropping her attachments, material things. To her, it comes in reflection to something Thomas Merton said. I quote from Amy, “Thomas Merton wrote that everything you love for its own sake blinds your intellect and keeps you from knowing the way things really are….” Now in this passage, Merton does not specifically target material possessions; he says everything you love. But I, like Amy, wondered if we do lose touch with reality – the way things really are - when we have a lot of material possessions. Are we so attached to these things that it becomes our identity? It seems easier to attach to an inanimate object that requires nothing from us in return than with our relationships. Our attachments to people, family and friends, appear more difficult, as it requires work and looking at things from another’s point of view. We really love our stuff even though it’s not capable of giving love in return and yet maybe that is what we want – no responsibility or accountability. We give names to ships, cars and I remember my father lived in a house named Bluebird. Just recently, we sold a tractor and I was sad, like I was losing a member of the family. It served us well and I was going to miss it. You work so hard to get the things you want that you’re invested in it even though it has no investment in you, albeit the bank would come looking for you if you didn’t pay.

Dr. Wayne Dyer says, “You’re not what you have. You’re not what you do. And, you’re not what people think of you.” I’m thinking the less we’re attached to our material possessions the more we are free to know ourselves and others. We’re able to know the way things really are. We need to become more invested in our loved ones, friends and neighbors, co-workers and pets. I think this is what this holiday season reminds us and why it feels so good. It’s because this is truly what we were created to be: one with our Source and each other. Something to think about, huh?

From the kitchen table - Pat~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Passion and Enthusiasm

Have you ever met someone that just oozed with passion and exemplified dynamic enthusiasm? You can usually tell by talking with them that they live and breathe what they are talking about. You can feel the energy shift when that type of person enters a room. They attract everyone to them and you feel you just want to be around them. On the other hand, there are some people that have charismatic personalities but they don’t carry the same heart-felt passion. They don’t attract people in the same way. They attract people the way a sales person might. What is the difference? What is genuine? In my opinion, I think it comes from one’s life experience and what has touched their heart. If they can express themselves from that place, they don’t have to prove anything. They are coming from a place of love and they’re genuine.

I want to share with you a video of such a person, Randy Pausch, a 47-year professor at Carnegie Melon University’s Entertainment and Technology Center. He talks about how he achieved most of his childhood dreams and gives realistic advice as to how we can also live our lives so we can make our dreams come true too. You’ll see passion and someone full of life and enthusiasm and yet he has been diagnosed with a terminal disease. Be inspired of someone with a positive and inspirational outlook on life. The video is over an hour long but it’s well worth the viewing if you want a lift for the day. It’s entitled, 47-Year Old Professor Gives Exuberant ‘Last Lecture’

I believe we all have the potential to live our dreams as Randy and we all can be a light in our little corner of the world. In fact, this is what we’re supposed to do. Look for your passion – your genuine enthusiasm – from that place in your heart that’s truth. Then, go take it to the world.

“Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy.” – Sai Baba

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Are You Happy with the Results?

Is what you’re doing in your life a crap shoot? Do you feel that some things you do are hit and miss and you wonder how it’s all happening? You may wonder at times why things go the way they do – is it a random effort spinning around on a wheel with no direction until it hits a slot? It doesn’t work that way. There’s too much information out there telling us that this is an intelligent system we live and engage in and we need to learn how it operates. I’ll bet you’ve read some of these books and articles, too, or you wouldn’t be reading this.

We are incredible beings living in this system and in this day and age more and more information is being published on how we can tap into that potential and be successful. The key, however, is to be willing. How willing are you to do what you need to do to take action? Sometimes, because we don’t see results we hammer at ourselves and put ourselves down as being a failure. We are our biggest critic but in reality it may be something that we haven’t seen or been able to realize yet. It just wasn’t available to us before. The more we read and open up to the possibilities, the more we are led to see what we need. This intelligent system doesn’t beat down; it’s patient and gently guiding. Here's an interview and a blog posting that may be of interest to you and if you’re open to it they may be of help: Dr. Wayne Dyer’s The Seven Secrets of a Joyful Life, where he talks from a spiritual context and Bill Harris of Centerpointe in Stuck About Money or Success where, with his Holosync program, he talks about some of things we can do to take action and take charge of our lives. Two different approaches and yet connected.

Our lives are precious and of great value and what we do is not a crap shoot. We can have purpose, learn direction and see the results but we need to pay attention and align ourselves with the energies that are available within and outside of us and use them. We can become anything we desire and live the lives we dream. Ask for guidance and then be willing to follow what appears before you.

Napoleon Hill said, “If you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way. Don’t wait for great opportunities. Seize common, everyday ones and make them great.”

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Build This Blog and They Will Come

In 1989, a movie came out entitled, “Field of Dreams”, with Kevin Costner playing the lead role. You may remember a famous quote from that movie, “If you build it, he will come.” It was a powerful movie about a corn farmer in Iowa who loved baseball. He hears a voice one day and understood the message to mean for him to build a baseball field on his farm. When he builds the field, ghosts of baseball legend Shoeless Jackson and seven other players from the 1919 Chicago White Sox come to play. Since then, I’ve heard this quote used in a number of ways so I thought I’d use it for today’s posting – “If I build this blog, they will come.”

For several years now, I’ve been searching for a venue for Wisdom for the Ages, a gathering I created in the corporate world where everyone (management/non-management) can come and sit in a circle, similar to Native American tradition, and, using a talking stick, share their wisdom on a number of topics (go to one of my postings for a little story of what it was like when I started this: Truth and Beauty). For most of my life, I’ve had the desire to connect, not only for myself but I also enjoy when others do. So, I started the talking-stick meetings and it was successful until that door closed and the company relocated back east. I then took it out of the corporate environment into leads groups, business groups, chambers of commerce, etc. and it didn’t really have the presence or accomplish what I felt it could have. As most of you, I’ve had countless experiences and lessons I’ve learned and I yearned to share them and in turn listen to others. I’ve always believed that if you felt safe - when you are the most vulnerable - and can talk from the heart, they are the times when healing takes place. That’s what I felt growing up listening, late at night, to the grownups talk sitting around the kitchen table. See a previous post on Family and Going Home. It was a bonding time, a safe haven, where you can tell it like you feel it and you’re still accepted and loved. I’ve wanted to create that for others in all walks of life whether in the corporate world, communities, families, etc., except the time or place never seemed to be right - until now.

Here we are with my 15th post. You can’t physically sit around a kitchen table but you can be reached from all ends of the globe through the wonders of the internet and we can connect. It has started and you’re coming and I thank you. I trust you’ll enjoy what you read. As this progresses, in the future I look forward to creating a forum where we can exchange our stories, our experiences and together share our wisdom. So, keep on coming and keep on reading. I value and appreciate all of you.

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Entertaining Angels Unawares

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (The Holy Bible KJV- Heb 13:2)

There is a beautiful little publication called, Angels on Earth (click to read the weekly feature) that is a collection of stories of people from all over the world that have had life changing experiences entertaining strangers - angels. Have you had a situation in your life when you were in great need and someone showed up at the right place and the right time to help? I have and I thought I would share this story with you, especially at this holiday season.

(Photo by Dez Pain at www.sxc.hu.home)
It was a little over 30 years ago and a friend of mine and I went to the grocery store. At the time, our children were small. I had my baby, Stephanie, and 2-year old, Allison, with us and we got an empty grocery cart. I put Allison in the cart facing me with her legs through the top and held Stephanie, as we headed out to start our shopping. My friend and I stopped at the end of one of the aisles to look at a spiral book rack - still without groceries. As we looked at the books, my daughter got restless and started to climb out of the grocery cart. I didn’t notice her but someone else did. Because the cart was empty, it started to lift up and come over as she tried to climb out. A man came running in between me and the cart and caught her just 2 inches from the concrete floor. He was a young man with a child in his grocery cart and it all happened so fast with her only a foot away from me. He set her down on her feet and handed her to me and never said a word. Our eyes met and I felt as if our souls knew each other. As I recovered and checked on Allison to be sure she was okay, I looked up to thank him but he was gone. We hurried through the store to catch him to express our heartfelt gratitude but he was no where to be found. That day, I met Allison’s angel and she’Fs jokes that she’s kept him busy throughout her life but we know he’s there with love and compassion looking out for her.

They’re there in all forms whether it’s a young man with a little boy or an animal or bird. God is looking out for us and it’s comforting. Be on the look out. You never know when you will have entertained a stranger – your angel.


From the kitchen table - Pat
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Journey of Joy and Peace

Particularly, this time of year we are tuned into joy and peace with all the festivities going on: the office parties, the houses lit up, music playing in the malls. It’s a celebration of life! What does it feel like to you this year? Are you experiencing that blissful peace, maybe when everything around appears to be chaotic. Or, how about joy, what are the simple things calling out to you to take notice – a child’s laughter or bells ringing (angels getting their wings)? There’s a spirit of hope in the air, a willingness to cooperate, a holy time when we look to our faith and we’re renewed.

Every day we have a choice whether to look to joy and peace or the opposite. It’s a journey and it seems as we get older and our eyes get dim our hearts grow stronger and more and more we come to know that “All is well.” For some, it can be a reminder of what they don’t have or who they’ve lost the past year and it’s painful. But, it’s also a time when family and friends rally around those loved ones to help. There’s a mixture of spiritual and material and all the human emotions thrown in. It’s like nature and the stars and the universe all have a voice and join with us in this celebration. Where is your journey of joy and peace taking you this year?

This year, I want to slow down and soak in the love and the smells and sounds of the season. I want to go out when it’s snowing and feel the snowflakes drifting down and come alive with the life that is all around me and feel my part in it. Let’s celebrate this life together that has been given us with joy and peace.

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Are You Playing Your Music?

In his, 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace, Dr. Wayne Dyer lists, "Don’t Die with Your Music Still in You", as his 2nd secret to success. Do you have a longing or desire to do something but have never had the chance to follow it? It seems like life has taken you in a totally different direction. Maybe you’ve always wanted to go back to school or wondered what it would be like to live in another country. I have a list on my refrigerator of things I want to do before I die and I keep adding to it. Here’s my list so far:

see the Northern Lights
hang glide
visit Scotland
swim with the dolphins

To date, I haven’t had a chance to cross any of these off yet but I can see me doing them. Not only that, but just recently I’ve discovered a type of “music” within me I never knew I had and that is writing. I started it last month with a book in its beginning stages and now creating this blog with just 2 weeks of daily posts. Reading and especially writing have always seemed to come hard to me. But I finally paid attention to that inner guidance and followed it and as it unfolds, there is an excitement I never knew was there. It’s not easy and there are times when I have to sit myself down and make myself write or I have difficulty coming up with a topic. But I find when I continue with it and allow it to flow it takes on meaning and a fulfillment I’m still discovering. I suspect this would work the same with anything you desire to do.

I don’t know where it starts but our life takes on this role of obligation and education, then having a family and earning a living. Before long, we’ve traveled down that road quite a ways only to discover that our lives have very little passion or meaning. Yes, we love our families – not to take anything away from that - and we have learned a great deal in the experiences that we’ve had but we still feel unfulfilled. There is still music within you and me that is yearning to be played – longing to be expressed. There is something you were imprinted with when you were born that only YOU can do and I suspect you already know what it is. What is keeping you from checking it out – taking the risk – to see what you can do with it? Maybe you’re afraid of what others will think or maybe they won’t approve. Or, you’re just afraid you’d fail. Whatever the reason you’ve given yourself, I’m asking you to take another look and find a way to discover this hidden gift – your music - and let it shine for all the world to benefit from. As Dr. Wayne Dyer quotes from Thoreau, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.”

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Authenticity

I touched on this subject in an earlier post "Footprints in the Sand - Footprints We Leave Behind" where I give a quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer in which he says,

“You’re not what you have”, “You’re not what you do,” and “You’re not what people think of you.”

This may leave you a little perplexed because it appears that this is all of what our culture is about. It’s only what gets the most attention. Yet, in your mind if you take away these things, what remains? That is the key question and I think it’s worth reflecting on. I’ve been thinking about this in my life and what if….what if… I no longer had my home and all that we own; what if I no longer had my work (not quite sure what that is at the moment but I’m feeling good at what I’m doing with writing these posts); and what if opinions of who I am by friends and family and acquaintances changed? Would I change with who I am? Where would I be or what would be left?


I’ve mentioned in earlier posts about a book I’m reading by Richard Bode entitled, Beachcombing at Miramar: The Quest for an Authentic Life. He left everything – family, home, job – in search of himself. Does it take stripping away all the distractions - possessions, labels, expectations - before you can come to terms with who we really are? Does it take this extreme measure to realize our worth and place in the universe? The thought of this can be terrifying and yet liberating. Richard Bode says,

“I went to all those places and I did all those things, and I don’t regret a moment, for each experience contributed mightily to the sum of who I am and what I know. But the day came when my children were no longer children and had moved into lives of their own, and I knew the hour had also come for me to move on to a place in life I had never been before.”

In A Course of Miracles http://www.acim.org/ACIM/SectionIntro.htm (a complete spiritual thought self-study that teaches the way to remember God), it asks, “Would you be hostage to the ego or host to God (T-11, II.7, pg 198).” When we look at these questions, we’re fearful of what we find. I know it seems like I’m asking more questions than really saying anything. It’s because these are some things I’ve been asking myself and the answers are hard. It pulls together a lot of what I’ve been writing about in the past two weeks – trust, footprints we leave behind, family. And, I think in order to go deeper we need to contemplate and ask the “what if’s”. Are we playing the game and doing the dance well or have we stopped and really looked at our lives to see what is genuine and real? This doesn’t mean the only way you can arrive at these answers is by leaving everything behind and live on a deserted island. But, we can start right where we’re at and look around at our lives and take inventory. Are we living out of fear – hostage to the ego? From A Course in Miracles, Dr. Wayne Dyer has also quoted something that goes like this, “If you knew who walks beside you on this path you have chosen you would never be fearful again.”

I want to get serious about who I am and what I’m doing with my life and let that shine. I want to trust that invisible force that is with me on this path and not be fearful. What about you? Can you ask the questions and risk hearing the answers to open your life to a wonderful new chapter?

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Family and Going Home

Starting tonight we get our grandsons for the weekend. I’m reminded how precious family is, especially this time of the year. My husband and I love having them spend time with us. They’re growing up fast (like the old song, “Turn Around”) and it won’t be long when they’ll have places to go and things to do with their friends. Yes, we get caught up in the frenzy of job, errands, answering e-mails, etc. but more than once a year, at Christmas time, it’s important to play - wrestle, take long walks, make snowmen, talk, read stories, watch movies – and not let a minute go by without cherishing the gift of family. Whatever your family looks like, whether with children or not, it’s valuable to you and that’s what is important.

I grew up spending the whole summer, every summer, with my sister and 5 cousins at my grandparents. We were always excited to get there and cried when it came time to leave. There was nothing special to do at my grandparents. They didn’t have toys and never took us to a movie. We just hung around every day and played together and were part of their everyday life. I think that is what was so special. We belonged and were valued and safe. They took us fishing and crabbing and we went to the cemetery with them to cut the grass around the family tombstones. They interacted with us in their regular daily living. We visited like that with them every year until I graduated from high school. In fact that’s where I got the idea of sitting around the kitchen table and talking (see my headline). Occasionally on the weekends our parents would come to visit – some as far as 250 miles. Because it was a long ride just for the weekend, they would leave after work on Friday and drive until the early morning hours. We’d be in bed and hear them come in and Grandmom would put on a pot coffee. She would fix them something to eat to give them a chance to unwind from their long trip before going up to bed. We’d lie in bed catching the aromas of food drifting upstairs and listen to the quiet sounds of their laughter and talk. It’s been over 35 years now since my grandparents have died and I still miss them. I can still hear them in the only lit room in the house, talking and sitting around the lone, kitchen table with all of us nestled upstairs in our warm beds. How do you create those memories for our children, our families? The answer: time and giving of yourself.

How did we get so busy that we barely have time for supper, a few words and homework, before it’s time for bed and then the next morning it starts all over again? Before you know it a year has flown by, then 5 years and then high school and on, and on, and on….. How do you take back control of your life? As Nike says, “Just do it!” If you don’t make the conscious decision to live the life you want to live, it will be done for you. Life just happens. As we approach this special time of the year, become aware of your routines and demands and decide to change it. Love more, live more, laugh more and make those special memories starting this very moment with your family – your loved ones.

Here is a little something from Erma Bombeck, writer and humorist, If I Had to Live My Life Over (written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Fall in Love…..with YOU!

Several years ago I had some sessions with a life coach. I felt like I was stuck and the business I was marketing and promoting was going nowhere. She was very helpful and what I learned was very insightful. As we talked from session to session, I felt like more and more was being revealed. I was at a cross roads as to whether to continue or get back into the corporate world and chuck my dreams. Our last meeting, she told me she typically takes time before the meeting to meditate about her client and ask what it is they need and this is what she told me. She said in her meditation she was told to tell me, “The degree to which I love myself will be the degree of success of my business.” This came as a shock as I never really connected the two. Now, it was a statement I could not ignore. As Dr. Wayne Dyer says, “You can’t give away what you don’t have.” Do I really not love myself? I thought I had come a long way with this but if I had the evidence would be there – success – and it wasn’t. I have to be honest with you; I am still working on this. I’m better at it than I was 4 years ago when I met with that life coach. Here are some of the things I have learned and still learning:

You teach people how you want to be treated.
Listen to the small voice and follow it.
Be comfortable with saying no.
Fake it ‘til you make it. You’re not really faking it you’re just “thinking from the end”, as Dr. Dyer says.
Be authentic. People want the real you to come across not someone you’re making excuses for.
Laugh, laugh, laugh!
Don’t be afraid to go for it. Give it all you’ve got (Dr. Dyer: “Don’t die with your music still in you.”).
Don’t be afraid to feel – feel what it’s like to love yourself.
Pay attention to what your body is telling you and honor it.
Take time for yourself - get quiet and reunite with your source and recharge.
Give yourself permission to receive.
Bless yourself – you don’t need others’ approval.
Acknowledge that what you have to give to the world is valuable.

I’m sure there is a lot more I could add to this list and you could as well, personally, if you thought about it.

A couple of days after that last meeting, I had a dream. I had this statement going on and on in my mind. The dream validated what I was told only now it was no longer just in my head, now it had dropped in my heart. I dreamt there was a family reunion of some sort and we came from all over. It was an important gathering at an old house that seemed like home to me. There were family members gathered both alive and dead. You can imagine the feelings of seeing a grandmother or father again that had passed on. Getting a chance to hear their voice again, see their eyes and hug them. That alone was worth more than whatever this meeting was for. We talked and caught up on what everyone was doing and then it came time for us to get ready for the event. We each went to our separate rooms and I went to mine. I freshened up and changed and went over to a long oval mirror to make a final inspection. As I looked in the mirror, I was taken back and stunned. There I stood in a wedding dress. This event was a wedding and I was the bride. I couldn’t believe how radiant and beautiful I was. I seemed to glow. And then I realized that I had fallen in love with myself and everyone had come to celebrate me. When I awoke, I could still feel the glow and energy of love. It’s still with me today when I recall that dream.

You and this world were created by an intelligent being. There are no mistakes. Realize your worth and value and let your brilliance shine.

Photo by Benjamin Earwicker at www.sxc.hu.home

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Harmony and Peace

This is a poem I came across some time ago that I had forgotten about until I heard Dr. Wayne Dyer quote from it in a recent lecture series. I saw it in a small, beautifully illustrated publication in 2002 that I received in the mail and liked it so much I held onto it. The publication was called Heron Dance Art Studio, Issue 35 (Heron Dance Website) and I thought I’d share it with you:

The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth
Across the doors where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.
-RUMI

The secrets of life, yours and mine, are still available but not in the form we’re used to accessing. We’ve lost touch with the world that created us. That still, small voice we used to hear is blasted out by the noises and the hustle and bustle of everyday living. I remember when we first moved to the mountains 25 years ago I couldn’t get over how quiet it was. You could hear the wind from a distance pick up and slowly pass by in the trees. It took me six months to get used to the silence – it was deafening, at first, and then I began to slow down to the rhythms of the mountains. I just had to listen differently and tune into the ebb and flow of life happening all around me. It wasn’t demanding my attention – just flowing, and I could participate in the dance if I wanted to.

It’s a life force that never leaves us. You see it in the face of a newborn baby or in the eyes of an animal. They know it. It’s not a mystery to them as much as it is to us. We’ve separated ourselves and believe in a different reality. How did we get so removed from the rhythms of the cycles of life? The harmony and peace are still there, we just have to turn our attention to it – never withheld.

Leading up to this holiday season, turn your ear to the mysteries and still small voice you heard long ago beckoning you to tune in. When you hear it, don’t go back to sleep.

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Bless You – That’s All the Approval You Need

I read something this morning that tends to go along with some of my most recent posts. It’s taken from a book I’m reading by Richard Bode entitled Beachcombing at Miramar: The Quest for an Authentic Life. He says, “This desire to please others, so widespread, so deeply rooted – I wonder where it comes from. Is it the result of what others do to us, or what we do to ourselves…..? We yearn for a blessing from those who have the power to bestow it on us, and when they don’t give us what we crave, we blame ourselves.”

This is true in many ways. A lot of times, the occupations we pick are to satisfy what someone else wants for us or where we live is to make our families happy. Are we living lives that are true and authentic for what we desire or are they carbon copies of others? Bode goes on to say, “The impoverished in spirit have no choice but to bless themselves. This is as true….for me, as it is for every individual who yearns for the affirmation they never had. We must bless ourselves; there is no other way. If we don’t, there is no telling how far we will go or what terrible acts we will commit to prove our worthiness.”

I got to thinking about this in relation to what I quoted from Dr. Northrup in my Nov 30th post $$$ Money $$$ - Where Is It - Where Can I Get Some?, where she says, “Those who have trouble receiving attract those who have trouble giving.” Perhaps, the approval we are pursuing lies in whether we can receive it or not. Can we give ourselves permission to receive the acknowledgement of a job done well? Sometimes, the approval is there and it comes but somewhere within we’re rejecting it before we can even see that it’s there.

I live in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and every year for at least 20 years we get a permit from the U.S Forest Service to cut our Christmas tree. They have special areas set up for this every year to thin the forests. Yesterday was our assigned day to get our tree. It was a beautiful day, blue skies and mild temperatures for this time of year, a little wind and not much snow to trudge through. In the past, we’ve usually been able to spot our tree and have it cut and loaded in usually about 45 minutes. It was taking much longer this year and we went from spot to spot, get out and roam around only to come up short. I guess after 20 years of Christmas tree cutting in this area, the perfect-shaped trees had all been taken. We moved onto another area and my husband was getting a little discouraged but we decided to have patience and enjoy the scenery, beautiful day and allow the right tree to show itself to us. Then, there it was off to the distance next to a large, mature tree. It was like we were drawn to it. In the past, a part of me always felt a little sad to take a tree out of such a beautiful setting only to set it up in a warm house and adorn it with plastic ornaments and blinking lights. It felt unnatural. But it was different this time. It seemed like the tree offered itself to us wanting to celebrate with us the birth of Jesus and join us in prayer for Peace on Earth. After we gave thanks and asked blessings for the tree, we brought it back to the car, loaded it up and headed out to the main highway. As we were driving along the dirt Forest Service road, a rock outcropping caught my husband’s eye. It was a huge boulder balanced perfectly on top of another boulder. The boulder had a strong pull and so we stopped and got out and climbed up to it. There was such a strong, loving energy coming from the boulder and I put my arms around it as far as they would stretch as the boulder was immense. As I stood there, allowing myself to receive what energy this boulder was giving, I felt like it was giving me love and for the first time I could actually feel myself accepting it and receiving it. I permitted myself to receive this pure love without having to reciprocate. The energy was so strong and giving that it brought tears to my eyes. I felt like I had been reunited with an old friend. I think because I have been preparing and writing on a number of these types of subjects they had become more apparent to me and my awareness more acute when they presented themselves. The rest of the day continued this way and when we got home I was able to write the posting for my blog with the information coming together effortlessly (and I think it is one of my best postings - Footprints in the Sand - Footprints We Leave Behind). The day ended with the most beautiful sunset capturing gorgeous blue and orange hues. This was a perfect day and I realized it unfolded that way mostly because I allowed it and permitted myself to receive the blessing and accept what presented itself. Each day can be a perfect day for you and me, not just a random event, if we open ourselves up to the possibility. Permit yourself to be blessed and if there’s no one around to acknowledge it, bless yourself.

Richard Bode goes on to describe his appreciation for one of America’s most important and successful artist, Georgia O’Keeffe See Biography. He is moved not only by her paintings but by her words in which he quotes her saying, “I get out my work and have a show for myself before I have it publicly. I make up my own mind about it – how good or bad or indifferent it is. After that the critics can write what they please. I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.”

Permit yourself to appreciate who you are and what you do. Don’t wait for someone else’s approval – bless yourself.

From the kitchen table - Pat
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Footprints in the Sand – Footprints We Leave Behind

Many of you have heard or read the poem, "Footprints in the Sand", by Mary Stevenson (Zangare). For those of you who have not, you can view it from this website: Footprints in the Sand (click on poem). This is such a beautiful poem and it touches so deeply and reveals our vulnerability. Some place within, we all want to know Someone is looking out for us. A Higher Power that knows all and cares for us especially in our greatest time of need. This poem gives comfort in that.

And yet, I think we can take it further and consider the footprints we’re making right now as you walk along this path of life. What would you most want to be remembered for? It’s not just what you’ve accomplished but the imprint you’ve made along the way with your loved ones and those you come in contact with everyday. Do you think they’ll remember you and how? Or, perhaps more importantly, why should they remember you…or me? These are the footprints. Dr. Wayne Dyer talks about our lives being like a beginning parenthesis when we’re born and when we die an ending parenthesis. We don’t bring anything in and we don’t take anything out and what’s in between the parenthesis is what we get to do with our lives and how effective we are with the gifts and talents we’ve been given. At times, we get caught up so much in the accomplishing and acquiring of things that we miss the importance. Dr. Dyer has also said, “You are not what you have,” You are not what you do,” and “You’re not what people think of you.” Then who are you? You’re that footprint moving through life one step at a time. You’re learning and growing and remembering who you are and where you came from and when you remember a piece of it and it shines forth, you pass it onto another and then you continue on your path.

On Sunday evenings I meet with a group at an Assisted Living Center and last night was special. It opened up some ideas I had on Footprints that I wanted to write about but didn’t quite have the words formed to put down on paper. The Center is now beautifully decorated for Christmas and they’ve put up a tree in the library where we meet. The only ornaments on this tree are small, framed pictures of the residents at an earlier time. It was fun to see what they looked like when they were younger and it occurred to me that this is how we move through our lives. When you have children, you look at them as babies and wonder what they’ll look like when they grow up. And, as each stage comes and goes, you see that individual change in the size and shape of their body, the color of their hair, and shape of their face. Then, you look back at their baby picture and you can see the resemblance but also what totally appears to be a different person. As you keep walking through life leaving your footprints, you’re now middle-aged and you look back at your pictures and see how much more you’ve changed. You continue on this life’s journey and arrive in your golden years and look back and hardly resemble those earlier pictures taken of you in a time that seemed so long ago. You’re at the other end of the continuum from when you started as a baby, but similar, in that the form you now carry is no longer the form you knew throughout most of your life. So, you continue on this path until you’re carried back home from where you first began. The footprints you’ve left behind may appear to have washed away with the waves of time but the essence of who you are will always remain forever.

Where are your footprints taking you right now on this path; how are they impacting the world? It’s time, today, to make your footprints count no matter whom you are or what is your walk of life. You have come here for a reason. No one else like you can impact the lives of those around you. A friend, Tom LaRotonda of Core Matters (www.corematters.com) passed along a story via e-mail about Paul Potts, a car phone manager in Bristol, England, who took the chance and let his brilliance shine. Overcoming his shyness and lack of self-confidence, he stepped on stage in answer to a strong passion for music and opera. Watch the faces of the judges and audience transform as he auditions in March of this year for a new talent show in England called Britain’s Got Talent where they were primed for another failure to the glorious disbelief and astonishment for what they heard.
http://www.maniacworld.com/Phone-Salesman-Amazes-Crowd.html

Make the things you do and the people in your lives and all around you important. Take time this holiday season to soak in the sounds and smells and the spirit of love and share it with others.

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.

-by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

From the kitchen table - Pat
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