Gratitude on a Warm Spring Day

The wind is whipping through the trees with a fury today. These tall sentinels are the eternal 'yes'men, forever nodding in assent to the frenzied demands of the gusting commander.

The fresh spring sun reflects brightly along the lengths of the pine needles, which spread their delicate fingertips out in the breeze as if to say 'Hello'.



I sit lazily lolling on the deck enjoying the warm rays of sunlight as their warmth soaks into my skin. I want nothing more than this moment, nothing more than the sound of the breeze in my ear and the feel of the sun on my cheek. Right Here, Right Now. Mmmmmmmmm, nice.



Today i will enjoy this time in the Now. I will stop trying to force things or do things the way I feel I ought. I will just let my True Self shine through. Today it's ok to love me and just be grateful for the red earth under my feet, the rustling many-colored leaves above my head, the fiery sun burning through the infinite sky.

Just look around! All this beauty! Everything is alive, everything an expression of the Universe in a constant dance of Love. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.



God is Love, and So are We!
~ONE~B.

Rolling Hills

I went for a hike with my closest friend at Shell Ridge in Walnut Creek the other day. It's a somewhat rare thing for me to feel bouyant and free on outcast, gloomy days such as this one; however, I was enjoying being out in nature and the excellent company of my friend Bec.




I decided to climb up a hill to the beautiful oak tree pictured above. Once atop the hill I thought it would be fun to roll down it and have Bec videotape the whole thing. It was GREAT! I wanted to show you the video because it's hilarious, but for some reason it's not uploading properly. But you get the idea. It was so much fun, I was giggling and yelling the whole time and Bec nearly peed her pants laughing. You get the idea.

Something about rolling down a hill that just makes you giddy inside. It makes you childlike again. It's better than any drug I've ever tried or any drink I've ever had; besides, there are no consequences- besides maybe feeling a tad sheepish and getting a wet rump. If you're having a rough time, feeling depressed, I have a recommendation for you. Stop taking yourself so seriously and go climb up and then roll down a hill near you! It does a body good. Until Next Time GOD is LOVE, and SO are WE! ~ONE~B.

Prayers and Ramblings

Ok. I really, really don't know what to say right now. Do you ever just feel stuck? This is driving me crazy, AAARGH! But I made a promise to myself when I started this blog that I would post at least once each week- and, well- time's up. But what do you say when you really and truly feel that you have nothing to say? You post great things that somebody else once said! Yay! So today I'm picking one of my favorite prayers of all time:




The Prayer of St. Francis

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."




No matter how many times I say, read, or hear that prayer it never fails to amaze me, I'll never tire of it. Because it so truly speaks to who I aspire to be in my innermost heart of hearts. Which prayer or meditation or activity speaks to you? What makes your soul sing?



Anyway, I've included some pictures I took today just messing around with the camera. I am really starting to enjoy this photography thing more and more...hope you like them too!



Until Next Time Remember:

GOD is LOVE, and SO are WE!~~B.

I am...

Happy Chinese New Year!




My children left for home yesterday, and I miss them already!



I haven't been sleeping much lately, and I can't seem to shake the feeling that something is coming my way- something big- and I had better be ready for it. I am trying to be still with this uncertainty and know that whatever happens is God's will...but still I seem to be alternating between states of excited anticipation and abject terror. But those are all just feelings on the human level, at the spiritual level- which is the only true reality anyway- I am serene and changeless.




In Truth,

I am not my body.
I am not the roles I play.
I am not my thoughts.
I am not my feelings.
I am not the car I drive or the clothes I wear.


I am Sathya (Truth).
I am Shanti (Peace).
I am Prema (Love).
I am all of these qualities, yet I am not these qualities, I am so much more...




'Til next time remember...
God is Love, and So are We!~~B.

Wizards

Wow! Talk about synchronicity or 'God Shots'! Today is yet another shining example of what the universe hands you if you're paying attention. I am convinced that there truly are no coincidences in life. Everything, and I mean everything- happens for a reason.

What am I talking about, you might ask? This morning I picked up a book off of my mother and her husband Allan's bookshelf...



...It was the book seen above, by Deepak Chopra, The Way of the Wizard. In the very first page of this book he states that a wizard is not someone who simply performs magic, but someone who can cause transformation. The various titles used around the world-- shamans, seers, sages, gurus, wizards, magicians,alchemists, etc.-- are just many different words used to describe the same thing; namely, a person who has a highly developed level of spiritual wisdom.

Anyway, needless to say, Deepak 'had me at hello'! I must read this book in its entirety. But on to my original point, I was reading the first page of this book, and then became distracted (as I often do) and decided to go online and check my email and such. The first email I opened was from tarot.com, my daily horoscope and stuff. On this site I found the 'tarot card of the day'. Guess what it was?...



The Magician in the Cat People deck is your Tarot card of the day

...Mmmmhmmm, yeah that's right. Curiouser and curiouser, heehee!

So that's the question for the day...who has been a wizard in your life? How can you become your own wizard and transform yourself and your life? I am going to go back and consult Deepak on these questions by returning to the book...

Until next time,

GOD IS LOVE, and SO ARE WE!~~B.

Beginner's Luck?

Hmmm...well if you didn't guess already I'm brand-spankin'-new at this blogging thing, so please bear with me. Anyways I set up this blog a few days ago and still have yet to write a single post due to...well, I'll just say it--I'm kinda intimidated, and a real perfectionist. I would almost rather not do something at all than do something less-than perfect, weird, huh? So, since this blog is mainly about exploring spirituality and breaking our old, tired habits that no longer serve us and each other--I thought I'd start by breaking the old habit of perfectionism and just starting, already! So, here it is--my first post. I know it ain't much, but it's a start, and it's a whole lot better than not trying at all.

A wise friend of mine once advised me on this issue of feeling 'stuck in a rut'-- take just one 'risk' each day, just one thing to take you out of your comfort zone, that's all it takes...

So, my question for the day is...

What old habits are you carrying around that aren't working for you anymore? What small steps can you take to change those patterns?

Til next time,

GOD IS LOVE, and SO ARE WE---B.