Just when you think life couldn't get any better here comes Arlee with the Alphabet Challenge and BAM, a big heaping helping of ZEST added a different flavor to the mix.
My blog for certain will never be the same. I tried to rise to the occasion and blog my heart out. It was my hope to give you 26 really good rides in the blogosphere. I hope I did that.
I am grateful to my new friends and followers and I am looking forward to many visits back and forth.
SO THANK YOU ARLEE FOR THE ZEST...IT WAS JUST WHAT WE NEEDED! Mmmm Mmmm GOOD!
THIS IS SUPPOSE TO BE FUN!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
U Can Make A Difference
Do me a favor. I want you to think about the person or persons that influenced you.... to buy a house. Get an education. Be a productive person. Be responsible about having children. Get and keep a job. I always tell my daughter, "you are who you hang with". Do you believe that? Who did you hang around? Who made you the person that you are? I'll bet you right now your answer to the majority of these questions are.... a family member, a teacher, some neighbor or a pastor. What's my point?
If you don't have anyone that is a positive influence in your life, anyone to teach you how to become a productive, responsible person that respect life and property and value education then what happens? Lack of discernment happens. You lose the ability to recognize differences between right and wrong, what is appropriate and what is not, what is moral and what is immoral. If you look over your life I am willing to bet that someone taught you about discernment. Do you see what an affect not having the influences of both parents (our first teachers), clergy, neighbors, and school instructors have had on society.
How do we rebuild? Where do we start? Try mentoring someone. I have mentored in formal programs and just to whomever I feel could use my counsel. I teach my adult women friends about finances, talk to young couples about marriage, nag high school boys about keeping it in their pants and encourage college girls not to give it up so easy.
O.K. it is not a perfect plan but it is a start. What do you think? Who have you influenced? Who influenced you?
If you don't have anyone that is a positive influence in your life, anyone to teach you how to become a productive, responsible person that respect life and property and value education then what happens? Lack of discernment happens. You lose the ability to recognize differences between right and wrong, what is appropriate and what is not, what is moral and what is immoral. If you look over your life I am willing to bet that someone taught you about discernment. Do you see what an affect not having the influences of both parents (our first teachers), clergy, neighbors, and school instructors have had on society.
How do we rebuild? Where do we start? Try mentoring someone. I have mentored in formal programs and just to whomever I feel could use my counsel. I teach my adult women friends about finances, talk to young couples about marriage, nag high school boys about keeping it in their pants and encourage college girls not to give it up so easy.
O.K. it is not a perfect plan but it is a start. What do you think? Who have you influenced? Who influenced you?
Friday, April 27, 2012
Exorcising
This is the time of year I allow myself the luxury of looking over my shoulder to see where I have been. Usually I am going full speed ahead to some place in the future and forget to check out that rear view mirror. You can not go forward with any certainty unless you know from whence you came.
Around this time last year I decided to concentrate on being of service to others. Initially the quest was "to sacrifice." It turned out not to be a sacrifice at all. Helping others is easy. Actually it became a gift that kept returning to me. The gift of growing. I grew as a person and as a writer. The more I became involved with others the more I learned about myself. That truth evolved into a bigger universal truth, that we are all connected and interdependent on one another and the earth.
Do you realize that some people spend their entire lives without making that one important connection? How about you? Have you connected the dots and came to know the universal truth?
In my past posts we saw how sharing our racial makeup lead to positive dialog. That results in respecting our differences and celebrating our commonalities. It felt right that we exorcised the demons that label us and prevent us from doing what God has commanded. Love One Another.
Exorcising is good for the soul.
Around this time last year I decided to concentrate on being of service to others. Initially the quest was "to sacrifice." It turned out not to be a sacrifice at all. Helping others is easy. Actually it became a gift that kept returning to me. The gift of growing. I grew as a person and as a writer. The more I became involved with others the more I learned about myself. That truth evolved into a bigger universal truth, that we are all connected and interdependent on one another and the earth.
Do you realize that some people spend their entire lives without making that one important connection? How about you? Have you connected the dots and came to know the universal truth?
In my past posts we saw how sharing our racial makeup lead to positive dialog. That results in respecting our differences and celebrating our commonalities. It felt right that we exorcised the demons that label us and prevent us from doing what God has commanded. Love One Another.
Exorcising is good for the soul.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Witches and Catholics
I met a bright woman that expressed strong views against racism along with a zeal for tolerance and I thought I would like to get to know her and maybe make a new friend. After a couple of exchanges I find out she is a practicing witch.
She was raised in a non-practicing Reformed Jewish household and is non Christian & says Jesus is not high on her list. Wiccans (I assume her witch community) views Jesus as a man God representative. Sort of like a stand in for God and is sacrificed.
Her views made my bottom lip quiver. "Mary worship" she says is an interesting cult! GULP! She is talking about me the devout Catholic. I tell her if she is a devil worshipper and wishes harm to others, game over, no friendship. Her response, "No self respecting neo-pagan or Wiccan would worship the devil. Satan is a Christian concept." Who knew or thought of it in those terms? "Wiccan code of ethics doesn't permit harming of others," she says. Peace loving witches, o.k. I'm being cautiously tolerant now.
I find out she did perform what is called an unbinding ritual on a friend that gave her permission to break lingering psychic ties to an ex-husband. She also did one on herself to break lingering psychic ties to an ex boy friend.
I can see that. Perfectly normal. I've had to unbind myself from a few ex friends myself basically by changing my telephone number and spamming their un-wanted emails. Unbinding is necessary some times. I'm catching on to the Wiccan way.
She believes in Karma (whatever you do will come back to you). I'm there on that point (you reap what you sow). "All Souls Day," is a big time for witches to commune with the dead. I celebrate this custom also and clean off graves of loved ones, say extra prayers and usually light candles in their honor. No conversations with the dead though, just remembering and honoring them. O.K. maybe this can work out.
She believes in absolute tolerance of others but despise people who use religion as an excuse to hate or discriminate against others. I guess there are bad witches and good witches just like there are bad people and good people. Who am I to judge or discriminate against someone because of their differences. After all isn't that what I preach and how I try to live my life.
Welcome Wiccans and neo-pagans to Debra's blog. All are welcome here in peace, harmony and love. A Witch and a Catholic who would have thought that would make a friendship. Do you have a friend whose beliefs are different from yours but you still manage to be friends? What's your tolerance level like?
She was raised in a non-practicing Reformed Jewish household and is non Christian & says Jesus is not high on her list. Wiccans (I assume her witch community) views Jesus as a man God representative. Sort of like a stand in for God and is sacrificed.
Her views made my bottom lip quiver. "Mary worship" she says is an interesting cult! GULP! She is talking about me the devout Catholic. I tell her if she is a devil worshipper and wishes harm to others, game over, no friendship. Her response, "No self respecting neo-pagan or Wiccan would worship the devil. Satan is a Christian concept." Who knew or thought of it in those terms? "Wiccan code of ethics doesn't permit harming of others," she says. Peace loving witches, o.k. I'm being cautiously tolerant now.
I find out she did perform what is called an unbinding ritual on a friend that gave her permission to break lingering psychic ties to an ex-husband. She also did one on herself to break lingering psychic ties to an ex boy friend.
I can see that. Perfectly normal. I've had to unbind myself from a few ex friends myself basically by changing my telephone number and spamming their un-wanted emails. Unbinding is necessary some times. I'm catching on to the Wiccan way.
She believes in Karma (whatever you do will come back to you). I'm there on that point (you reap what you sow). "All Souls Day," is a big time for witches to commune with the dead. I celebrate this custom also and clean off graves of loved ones, say extra prayers and usually light candles in their honor. No conversations with the dead though, just remembering and honoring them. O.K. maybe this can work out.
She believes in absolute tolerance of others but despise people who use religion as an excuse to hate or discriminate against others. I guess there are bad witches and good witches just like there are bad people and good people. Who am I to judge or discriminate against someone because of their differences. After all isn't that what I preach and how I try to live my life.
Welcome Wiccans and neo-pagans to Debra's blog. All are welcome here in peace, harmony and love. A Witch and a Catholic who would have thought that would make a friendship. Do you have a friend whose beliefs are different from yours but you still manage to be friends? What's your tolerance level like?
VORTEX
A vortex is a transcendental space on earth that is conducive to the metaphysical. It is said if you stand in this space, pray and meditate, you can find peace. Some claim that the experience brings you slowly back to your core, your sense of purpose. All four vortex or "vortices" as some call them are located in Sedona Az. I visited two out the four. On the Sedona map there are four tornado like figures symbolizing where they are located. The drive up the mountain to get to the first vortex was steep. For sure I was at least 6,000 ft. above sea level. I walked past a lady high on a ledge in the mountains, arms outstretched to the sky and knew I was at the place. There are no signs or markers but there was a notation on a small information board asking you to be mindful of people praying and meditating. A person pointed to a spot on the mountain to a juniper bush. I was told it normally grew straight and tall but because it was in the vortex it was all twisted.
I climbed what seemed to the top of the world. Then I saw it, a few feet from the edge of the mountain. It was a stunning sight. There at a slope stood the Juniper bush caught in the Vortex. My first thought was that it looked like the "burning bush" Moses encountered. It was hard to get to because it was on a declining slope which led to the edge of the mountain. I didn't know what to expect or what to do. I pulled out my rosary and started to pray frantically. I had so many people to pray for. All of you reading this blog, my family, all families, especially our children. I prayed for the sick and the elderly for the hungry and for our president and his family. Then something took over my prayers. I began to relax and instead of me praying I heard my prayers my thoughts come from outside my conscious mind. I heard my prayers being recited to me.
I left this particular site feeling extremely blessed and at peace. My thoughts turned to Moses going up the mountain and returning with the Ten Commandments, and Jesus experience in the mountains and other biblical references that happened in the mountains. Is it a coincidence that all four Vortices are found in the mountains? Maybe the world is so busy and noisy that you have to climb above it to hear the voice of God. I know a new layer of spirituality exist now in me. It is the spirit of peace and tranquility but also one of confidence and astuteness in a world driven by chaos. Physically, there is a subtle streak of gray in my hair running down the center of all places that wasn't there before my Vortex visit. A reminder of things unseen and unexplainable. A testament to my faith. What do you think? Was it all in my mind..me wanting to believe? Have you ever visited any of the Vortices? The picture is me praying in the vortex among the juniper bushes.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
U Turn
I have a confession, an embarrassment really. I am directionally impaired. That's right, I don't know North from South, East from West. I could stand outside my front door in the middle of the street and I couldn't tell you which way I was facing. I have tried to learn. My husband said, "Picture the map of the U.S. in your head with the compass pointing up for N and down for S." I just can't visualize it like that when I am in my living room. I'm not an idiot, I can read a map. I know East coast West coast etc; It's more complicated than that.
Yesterday a really nice young man came to measure my home for carpet. He asked me which direction was a certain window facing? "I'm not good with directions," I answered honestly. He fiddled around making guesses about the direction but in a nutshell he didn't know either. So I started thinking maybe there are other people that have this problem. Now I am hoping that just maybe someone out there could explain it to me.
If I were in slavery times and was trying to run away I would be running Southwest and the other slaves would be running North. What am I not getting? Is there anyone out there that can teach me? And yes I know the sun rise in the East and set in the West, but the sun moves during the day.
Yesterday a really nice young man came to measure my home for carpet. He asked me which direction was a certain window facing? "I'm not good with directions," I answered honestly. He fiddled around making guesses about the direction but in a nutshell he didn't know either. So I started thinking maybe there are other people that have this problem. Now I am hoping that just maybe someone out there could explain it to me.
If I were in slavery times and was trying to run away I would be running Southwest and the other slaves would be running North. What am I not getting? Is there anyone out there that can teach me? And yes I know the sun rise in the East and set in the West, but the sun moves during the day.
The Statue of Liberty
I took sneak peeks of her through the ferry window. I've always been resentful of her and what she symbolized to others. She held no promise for me or my ancestors so visiting her caused me anxiety but hey who goes to New York without seeing the statue, right.
For the majority of Americans the statue represents freedoms, rights and privileges. For me it left the taste of disenfranchisement in my mouth. Immigrants fled to this country from bondage to freedom. Africans came kidnapped from freedom forced into bondage. Immigrants waved and cheered their journey's end from the decks while my people were packed liked sardines in the belly of slave ships.
The ferry ride was gray and cold & the water rough. I faked a smile while my stomach churned and my imagination ran wild with snippets of scenes from the television drama "Roots" running through my mind. It was awful. I walked around her twice without really looking at her. Then I faced the statue. Head tilted back tears welling up. I was shocked by the emotions I felt.
Back home and less emotional I thought about my feelings and how selfish I was to disregard the statue and all the people that deserved to be in awe and pay homage to her. Many people have been in bondage. We blacks don't have the monopoly on that. Moses led his people from Egypt, Jews were enslaved by monsters, Native Americans were victimized in their own country. What right did I have to feel entitled to such self pity?
Back home and less emotional I thought about my feelings and how selfish I was to disregard the statue and all the people that deserved to be in awe and pay homage to her. Many people have been in bondage. We blacks don't have the monopoly on that. Moses led his people from Egypt, Jews were enslaved by monsters, Native Americans were victimized in their own country. What right did I have to feel entitled to such self pity?
The one commonality that we all share is that we have had to fight for our freedom every day. September 11th taught me that. September 12th showed me our biggest commonality is that we are Americans and we are one no matter our petty daily problems amongst ourselves. So the Statue of Liberty is inclusive, a reminder of the price all of us must pay for freedom.
Blessings to all that have come, fought and won their freedom in this great land, America. I am and have always been proud to be an American. I now have pride in the Statue of Liberty and feel inclusive to her claims. God bless America! God bless each and every country on this planet!
Is there any person or people you resent? If so face it, give it to God, let it go, forgive yourself and others. Revel in the peace doing this one thing brings. On this day be healed and feel the pride of being not just an American but a citizen of the world.
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