Posts Tagged ‘awareness’

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A Fortune in Dough

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Footprints in Sand

Forgive it Forward: Follow Those Footprints

Sometimes it helps to follow in someone’s footsteps – even if only for a short while. For that reason, Ray and I have started this series; a virtual footprint forum for muses with stories, ideas and tips that we think worth sharing. We hope your ‘walk’ with them makes your day a little lighter and brighter –and that you leave with something that inspires you to forgive it forward, backward, upward and downward!

This story is being shared under the category of forgiveness as a reminder. In the flurry of day-to-day living, it is moments like these, shared between a young boy and his mother, that capture the heart and are worthy of our capacity for memory – not the ones that disappoint. And when someone we love loses their ability to remember, these are the ones that we hold for them as well as ourselves. Which is why we found “A Fortune in Dough” by Ray Harwell priceless. So, sit back and pour yourself a cup of coffee, or tea if you prefer, and travel back in time with us as we share a precious memory in the making.


GUEST MUSINGS BY: Ray Harwell, Agricultural Research Assistant

 “Tell me the story, Momma.” It had been a while since the last time I had asked and I knew that if I asked too often she would say no. She acted as though she hadn’t heard a word I had said. I stood behind her, over near the fireplace, watching as she prepared her work on the breakfast meal. I stuck a thumb in my mouth and contemplated whether or not she had, in fact, heard me. This was somewhat dangerous ground. One false move here and there would be no story this morning. Why, it may even be days if I pushed too hard. In a flurry of action she had turned on the stove eyes and the oven, gotten stuff out of the fridgedair and had made several trips to and from the sink. I had to act soon. Making my way around the table (it was an extremely large table where all members of the family had a designated seat) I saddled up close to her right side. She looked down at me and in those big beautiful brown eyes I could actually see the love pour out and down on me.

“Oh, not this morning!” she said turning once again to her work. “Your daddy will be in from the barn soon and I need to have things ready.” It was time for a bold move. Removing the thumb from my mouth and wiping it on my shirt, I started tugging on one of the many straight-backed chairs that surrounded that (more…)

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Posted in Forgive it Forward: LETS TALK | 14 Comments »

Metaphysical Malpractice (a.k.a. what did you do to deserve this?)

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Footprints in Sand

Forgive it Forward: Follow Those Footprints

Sometimes it helps to follow in someone’s footsteps – even if only for a short while. For that reason, Ray and I have started this series; a virtual footprint forum for muses with stories, ideas and tips that we think worth sharing. We hope your ‘walk’ with them makes your day a little lighter and brighter – and that you leave with something that inspires you to forgive it forward, backward, upward and downward!

In this post, we invite you to follow Michele’s footprints. (And we encourage you to pay close attention because, though she has a big heart, she has little feet that like to break out in dance.)

 

GUEST MUSINGS BY: Michele Sevacko, New Thought Minister

Note: If you always get what you desire … if you only attract “good” … then you might want to skip this post. (Or better still, contribute to this post!) 

If, like me, you’ve been involved in New Thought or Metaphysics for a while (even just a little while) or if you’ve explored the Law of Attraction, you may have heard the expression “what did you (or I) do to attract this?” 

I call this “Metaphysical Malpractice.” Often, all this question results in is feelings of guilt – ’cause if you’re attracting it, then you must’ve done something “wrong” or “bad.”  Right? 

Well, not really. There may be something that you could possibly do differently; but it’s not about making a judgment of bad, good, better, etc. That just takes you one (more…)

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Posted in Forgive it Forward: LETS TALK | 22 Comments »

Can You Find Your Spot?

Monday, July 19th, 2010

 

grocerychssc021

One of our spots turned out to be Charleston, SC.

 

 

Where Would You Like to Live? Findyourspot.com is a fun way to explore the possibilities!

Most of us have had at least one opportunity to move. Maybe to further a career or advance an education. Maybe to care for an aging parent. Or maybe just because a nudge from a small voice within said we are supposed to be someplace else doing something else. No matter where it comes from or why, when confronted with that opportunity, we all have to make the same decision. Where do we rest our heads?

A point on a map may tell us how to get there but beyond that, then what? That little point encompasses a lot of territory. But what does it define? If you live there already, it defines everything. If you do not, it defines nothing usable as a personal experience from which to make a decision.

I have a friend who was looking for her spot not long ago. She sent me this link for FindYourSpot. Being “gypsy-esque,” Ray and I have a happy little system of our own that has worked rather well – chuckle – but we decided to take the survey and see how FindYourSpot’s ideas compared to ours. (more…)

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Posted in Lifestyle: How • Where • What • Why | No Comments »

Not Attending

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Pink on Blue

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Anon


Have you ever had an idea, a dream, or a creative inspiration that wouldn’t let go of you until you did something with it? If you have then you know what it’s like when the muse strikes and you are the match.

Whether your idea is for something that resides in uncharted territory or an ingeniously twisted reincarnation of an old theme, it doesn’t matter. Muses are relentless – and perhaps unforgiving. (Hmm. A topic for another post.)

But this post isn’t about hearing the call. It’s about after that. After you answered the call. Painted your heart out. Sang for your supper. Written your novel. Built your homeless shelter. Erected your church. Re-mortgaged your house. Maxed out your credit cards. And sacrificed your retirement fund.

It’s about what happens after you hang your shingle and send out invites for the concert, poetry reading, gallery showing, taste party, patent demonstration, animal adoption clinic or wellness workshop – and find yourself waiting for the world to show up. For the world to embrace this gift that you burned to share. Waiting with – God love ‘em – the usual suspects/supporters who always show up. (If you are not a creative-activist-entrepreneur who’s had this experience you might want to stop reading now while the rest of us wait.)

Okay, so where am I going with this? It is my belief that those who continue to invent and create when confronted with the ‘not attending’ know a lot about (more…)

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Posted in Forgive it Forward: LETS TALK | 52 Comments »

Spring Fever Rebellion

Saturday, April 24th, 2010
Pink Flower
Photo – Courtesy of Casa Dresden
  • Then & Now Project: The journey from “I do” to “I don’t” to “What now” is complicated. This project shares snippets from my book (taken from my journal) that reveal pieces of that journey in a “that was then, this is now” format. My posting days match with journal entry days (sort of a time-fusion) and focus on what I hope will offer food for thought in your own life – whether you do, don’t, or might. Enjoy!

 

Now that I’ve officially fallen flat on my blogging b!?#@! I will confess to what I can only identify as spring fever rebellion. (So much for the idea of matching posting days with journal entry days.)

How to proceed from here? I could “catch up” by fudging the posting dates. If you just got here you’d never know. Then I could shrug my absence off to a mysterious Internet snafu for those of you who get this on feed. Or – I could just offer short snippets to get us current and ask for your forgiveness.

Hmmm. Guess which one? (You get to practice forgiveness!) In the interest of saving time, I am not posting any 2010 comments. Instead, I have selected a progression of short journal entries and spirit dialogs that will hopefully tell the story and share the “classroom” in a self-explanatory way. If you have questions, just ask.

HERE WE GO!

Journal, April 8, 1994 • “… When these racing hormones kick in, the idea of finding comfort or distraction in another man is (more…)

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Posted in Bernadette's Pages: Then & Now | 7 Comments »

Old Road. New Map.

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Sunset Rooftops

Photo Courtesy of Karla Zdroik

  • Then & Now Project: The journey from “I do” to “I don’t” to “What now” is complicated. This project shares snippets from my book (taken from my journal) that reveal pieces of that journey in a “that was then, this is now” format. My posting days match with journal entry days (sort of a time-fusion) and focus on what I hope will offer food for thought in your own life – whether you do, don’t, or might. Enjoy!

 

CREATING A NEW REALITY WITHOUT GETTING OFF YOUR COUCH.


If memory is all you have of the past, and what you base your present choices on, why not give yourself a different “memory” to choose from?

 

Journal, April 5, 1994 • “It’s time to wake up and be conscious of what I’ve been doing. It’s time to change the script. To look in my own mirror. This separation was probably the only thing that would have caught and held my attention so I would stop and look at this victim mentality I support … “

 

2010:  Starting with a spirit dialog and ending with a vision, there are six entries in my book for April 5th and that presents me with a dilemma. How do I maintain a storyline and support growth without wearing you out?  Because March was such a big month (52 journal entries) there was a lot that I didn’t include in my March posts, some of which I now realize laid the foundation for today’s insights about how we create our reality. (I told you this “out of context” stuff could get messy.)

Today, I’m ditching my concerns about the storyline progression and inviting you to leap with me into some pretty heady stuff about how we use – and abuse – our relationship with time to create our life experiences. (If you are (more…)

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Posted in Bernadette's Pages: Then & Now | 4 Comments »

Nature’s Way …

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Snow08Red163

In the hush found under a blanket of white,
the rush of life is left behind.

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Posted in Lifestyle: How • Where • What • Why | 2 Comments »

Spinning Your Wheels on a Speed Bump

Monday, November 16th, 2009

RedBud_1243

Okay. I know this photo has nothing to do with speed bumps. I just like its implication for things we miss when moving too fast.

 

You have a dream – to start a business, save a relationship, get healthy. You’ve set the goal and mapped it out. You’ve put in the effort. The time. The money.  Cruising down the road, you can see your dream destination up ahead so you push down on the accelerator and pick up speed. Windows rolled down. Radio turned up. Wind is blowing through your hair and you’re singing to your favorite, “gonna make it happen now” song when all of a sudden – BAM! Speed bump. Your head hits the roof and the only stars you’re seeing are within a nine-inch radius of your forehead.

Damn. Where did that come from? You gather yourself – and the map that slid off the seat – double check your directions and continue down the road. (Vision a little less clear for the stars.) Hmmm. Are those storm clouds up ahead and a wall of rain heading your way? You roll the window up tight, turn down a side street hoping to find a route around the threatening weather, and lean into the steering wheel with determination as raindrops hit the windshield. You start humming your, “gonna make it happen NOW I can beat this” song when SLIP-SPIN-BAM! Another speed bump? You can’t believe you hit another speed bump. Where the heck are you? (more…)

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Posted in Messy Musings & Growing Pains | 5 Comments »

Four-Paw Feng Shui. Thank You, Mama.

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

P&B_1441

Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. Mine, often with four legs. A petite black cat was such a teacher.

 

I met Mama Cat in the summer of 2001. She came with our fixer-upper and was a feral through and through. The first couple of months she tolerated our invasion, watching our activities from a distance. She slept in an abandoned wicker chair on the far end of the front porch. The house had not been lived in for a long time and, according to our neighbor, Mama’s residence had been consistent enough to produce several litters in the crawl space under the house. She looked well fed so I assumed she was a good hunter or great scavenger. Turned out, a gal across the street had taken it upon herself to feed the neighborhood strays that were smart enough to find her front porch. Mama was one of those.

The three of us (me, Ray and Smitty the kitty) were living out of one room so making our old mill house livable – while tending to our livelihoods – took up the better portion of my attention. Mama was a silent presence as we carried in building materials and hauled out scraps. I didn’t give her much thought. That is until I glanced out our kitchen window one (more…)

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Posted in Power of MEOW: Four-Paw Muses | 1 Comment »

Are You A Definer Or Refiner?

Monday, September 7th, 2009

 

TreeOnRoof011

Where you land may not be up to you – but how you grow when you get there is.

 

Here’s an idea to play around with. The next time someone or something upsets you, ask yourself, “Does this define me or refine me?”

 

Why? Because your answer determines how you move through the experience and the baggage you carry afterward.

Let’s see what Webster has to say about these two words.

• Define: to determine the limits or nature of; describe exactly.

Hmmm. ‘Determine the limits’ seems pretty limiting. And ‘describe exactly?’ (There’s a crazy-making quest.) I don’t know about you but my life – and upsets – defy any exacting description. This defining business is feeling a bit tense.

• Refine: to free or become free of impurities. To make or become more polished.

To ‘become free’ and ‘more polished.’ All right. I’m exhaling here. This feels like something I can grab hold of when grappling with an upset.

How a Defining Moment Becomes a Refining Moment.   Stop. Ask the question. “Does this define me or refine me?” Make a conscious (more…)

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Posted in Messy Musings & Growing Pains | 6 Comments »

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