GOD I MISS HIM!!!!

Today—4 years ago I lost my father------the old man. I have called him old man for almost my whole life.
My siblings never did and no one else was allowed to – it was our connection….

There are times I still find myself picking up the phone and wanting to call him—to just hear his voice—ask for his advice, tell him about my day…talk about family!!! That emptiness truly sucks --- there is nothing that can replace it or make it go away. The day my father passed away was the day my mother slowly gave up living. She is living with my brother and his family—I know her heart is broken—and there is nothing I can say to her to comfort her other than telling her I love her…. Sometimes that is just not enough.

I had a dream about him once----that he was at my front door – I hugged him sooooo tight –I could actually smell his aftershave lotion (old spice).. I could hear him in my head say it is okay!!! Then I woke up. That is what I am hanging onto.

I miss his business sense…… his poker games….. his domino matches with his friends…. and his lil veggie garden. I miss him because he is missing the beautiful woman that his grand daughter has grown to become. Her creative talents… her ideas.

I miss him-----I miss him----I  miss him!!!!

UNSEEN RICHES

**Found This Short Story and Thought I would Share it Here!!!!!**                                             
by Diana Reeves                                        
Georgia, USA

Growing up, we didn't have much. Actually, we had very little. With
three little mouths to feed, my daddy worked as a janitor and then
farmed our own small field until dark. Daddy provided for us the best he
could, and mama made our clothes on her old sewing machine.

It was probably evident to all the teachers and kids at school just how
poor we were. Then came third grade, Mrs. Harper's class.

Mrs. Harper brought a huge box of toys to school to give to "needy"
children. Everyone was invited to bring some of their own toys from home
to put in the box. Needless to say, I had hardly any toys of my own.

By oh boy, did my eyes get *big* when I looked into that box. It was
like a dream world to me -- so many toys! Evidently Mrs. Harper saw the
look in my eyes, and although I never asked, she offered to let me pick
out two toys for myself from the box. I was so thankful and thought I
was the luckiest girl in the whole world!

When I got home I couldn't wait to show mama. She admired the toys and
asked where I got them. I told her about the box for the needy children
and that Mrs. Harper had let me pick two from the box!

Mama thought for a few seconds and in a very sweet way, said "No... no,
you can't keep them honey. You see, there are little children in the
world that don't have anything." She explained to me that those toys
were for "poor" children, and I had to return them to the box because it
wouldn't be right to keep them.

She wasn't angry or resentful that the teacher had let me pick them, she
just stated it as a matter of fact. Although I was disappointed I
couldn't keep the toys, I was somewhat proud to take them back. After
all, they were for the poor little children in the world.

So the next day, I took them back to the big box and explained to Mrs.
Harper why I couldn't keep them. With a smile, she said she understood.

Despite the obvious fact of how poor we were, my mama made me believe
differently. She made me see myself differently and made me proud of who
I was. From that point on, I always felt sorry for the poor, but never
considered myself that way.

Looking back now, I can see just how poor we really were. We had holes
in the floor, leaks in the roof, a freezing house, worn out shoes, few
clothes, and little food. We could have easily applied for welfare, but
my daddy wouldn't think of it. Our family was full of integrity and
proud of hard work.

Although my mama is long gone, her lessons have stayed with me through
life. We didn't have much money, but we were rich on love.

CINCO DE MAYO

Just wanted to wish you all HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!!!!

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a celebration held on May 5. It is celebrated in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla). It originated with Mexican-American communities in the American West as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War, and today the date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

PEACE--

RESISTING THE BLAME GAME

RESISTING THE BLAME  GAME

A mother heard the family cat yowl in pain. She knew where to look – she looked for her son, Mike. "Stop pulling the cat's tail, Michael!" she chided.

"I'm not pulling his tail," the boy retorted. "I'm just standing on it. He's doing the pulling."

He, of course, is no different than any of us. Often, our first impulse is to blame someone or something else for problems. It's the cat's fault. Or the school's fault. Or my parents' fault.

I once heard a story of a 40-year-old woman who was jogging in a U. S. state park when she was attacked and killed by a mountain lion. Her family immediately filed suit against the state because of its "failure to manage the mountain lion population" and because it didn't "react to reports of cougar activity in the area by posting warning signs."

But an interesting thing happened. Her distraught husband felt it was wrong to blame the state or anyone else for his wife's death, even though he stood to possibly win a small fortune. Against her family's wishes, he dropped the law suit. "Barbara and I have always taken responsibility for our own actions," he explained. "Barbara chose to run in the wild and, on a very long shot, she did not come back. This is not the fault of the state, and people should take responsibility for themselves."

I would like to meet that man. He no doubt believes that the Blame Game" is a no-win in the long run. He seems like a person who would rather spend time fixing what's broken than fixing the blame for it on someone else.

This isn't about law suits – it's more about whether we are essentially victims of life or whether we are powerful and responsible people. An important step in gaining mastery over your life is to resist the urge to make something or someone else responsible. Like novelist J. K. Rowling (of Harry Potter fame) said to graduating Harvard students, "There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you." Certainly background and circumstances have influenced who we are, but who is responsible for the person we become?

An important decision I made was to resist playing the Blame Game. The day I realized that I am in charge of how I will approach problems in my life, that things will turn out better or worse because of me and nobody else, that was the day I knew I would be a happier and healthier person. And that was the day I knew I could truly build a life that matters.

-- Steve Goodier  www.LifeSupportSystem.com

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

When you begin the spiritual journey and you start to step into your truth ~ people around you may not like that! Many do not want to know their truth...... They are more comfortable in the world of illusions and unconsciousness ~ and when you begin to change, it may create fear within their being. They will do their best to keep you at their level of vibration. This is a test....a spiritual initiation you must move through!
In order to move through this test with ease and grace it is best to not get sucked into their duality. There is no need to explain yourself or your new awareness ~ because oftentimes, they will not have "ears to hear or eyes to see".....sometimes it is best to stay silent and smile.
Never let their unconsciousness become yours.....do not accept their projections, beliefs, opinions and criticisms of who they "think" you are into your reality! There is no way someone who does not know who "they" are could possibly know who "you" are.
Stay aligned with your heart and become the example for them to follow.....move yourself away from the duality of conflict. KNOW who you are, and BE IT! You will radiate happiness, joy and inner peace to everyone you come in contact with, and this way of being is infectious and transformational! -anonymous

I WISH YOU ENOUGH

I wanted to start off the New Year by first saying
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY DEAR FAMLY AND WONDERFUL FRIENDS. 2012 was a year of too many highs and lows—I am Hoping for 2013 to be more even keeled. My wish for you all is that the New Year Fills Your Heart With Joy…Your House with Prosperity and that You Are ALWAYS surrounded by Love!!
I Wish You Enough!!!!

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter's departure had been announced. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, "I love you and I wish you enough." The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom." They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever good-bye?". "I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said. When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, "I wish you enough. May I ask what that means?" She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. "When we said 'I wish you enough' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then turning toward me, she shared the following, reciting it from memory, "I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye." She then began to cry and walked away. They say it takes a minute to find a special person. An hour to appreciate them. A day to love them. And an entire life to forget them. TAKE TIME TO LIVE! To all my friends and loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH

THE INVITATION

 

The Invitation
By Oriah Mountain Dreamer
(A Native American Elder)
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting in your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit in pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own,if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tip of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you're telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from God's presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.
It doesn't interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."
Black Elk - Oglala Sioux
"There is no such thing as 'part-Cherokee.' Either you're Cherokee or you're not. It isn't the quantity of Cherokee blood in your veins that is important, but the quality of it . . . Your pride in it. I have seen full-bloods who have virtually no idea of the great legacy entrusted to their care. Yet, I have seen people with as little as 1/500th blood quantum who inspire the spirits of their ancestors because they make being Cherokee a proud part of a their everyday life."
~Jim Pell: Principal Chief of the North Alabama Cherokee Tribe ~