Careful What You Ask For

Virtually every religion, philosophy, or belief system known to mankind teaches to ask and you will receive, seek and you will find. The problem is in how we go about the asking part. We pray, we beg, we supplicate, we promise to be good, better or best if only "You" will give me what I want. I want to be healthy... please make me so; I want to be happy...please show me the way; I want to be financially secure...please let me buy the winning lottery ticket or lead me to a dream job; I want to be thin...give me the willpower to leave those damn sweets alone; I want a new home, I want a new/newer car, I want peace in the world, I want to be safe and secure, I want to loved unconditionally, I want to be debt free, I want, I want....................

Think hard about this and you will realize that God, The I Am, The Universe, All That Is, The Creator...whomever or whatever you have given your faith to, will give you exactly that. Wanting. I personally am working on the premise (which I have learned from my life long search for answers) that the desires of my life will be granted by being thankful in advance of receiving.

Thank you, God for the good day I am about to experience, thank you for the good health I will enjoy for the remainder of my life; thank you for the abundance which continues to flow into my life; thank you for the love and happiness that comes to me in many ways, every day; thank you for the retirement coming my way and the new adventures it will bring to me; thank you for the peace and love which is developing at a rapid pace for all of humanity; thank you for the success and happiness life brings to my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, my brothers and sisters and all of my extended family; thank you for the leaders of this country and the world who are working together for peace, goodwill and prosperity for all of mankind...to name a few.

Now I admit, this is not easy to do. However, with baby steps, I go forward with great faith that being thankful for the future and all the good it will bring to me and my fellow men is worth giving up that four letter word that leads to nowhere. Goodbye WANT. Hello "Thank You God", for the blessings coming every day to all, believers and non believers alike.

Thank you God, for the ears that will hear and the hearts who will believe.

Thanks For...........

There are many things in my life for which I am truly thankful. First off is the very good job I am privileged to have which will keep me so busy from tomorrow through Thanksgiving day that I will not have time to express my thankfulness. Therefore, I will do that today by a simple random listing of the aforementioned "things". So here goes:

• My green eyes, which go much better with my silver hair than say..brown?
• My four darling children who are filled with charm, wit and personality.
• My mother, Beth who kept our family together under extremely hard circumstances and always had more than enough love to go around; who taught us that work is not a four letter word, who earned the love and respect of all who knew her, who gave more than she ever received, who was beautiful from the inside out.
  
• My home, despite the fact that the license I obtained from Fish and Game to kill the dust bunnies has yet to bear fruit.
• My vehicle, which warms my butt in the Winter (I love that feature) is large enough to sit grown men comfortably, gets great gas mileage for a large car (32mpg-highway) and keeps me from walking uphill both ways to work each day.
• My "first love", Jon, who actually believed I was something special...me and about four other girls.
• The fact that love is blind which kept me from knowing about the "other" four for a very long time.
• Being born and raised in Idaho.
• Being born into poverty which makes me more appreciative of all I now have, and keeps my spending in check to this day. (do I really need that?)
• My six adorable and brilliant grandchildren, my two incredible sons-in-law, my fantastically handsome great-grandson and my beautiful and wonderfully opinionated great-granddaughter-in law.
• Seven fantastic siblings who have added so much to the tapestry of my life.
• Sisters and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, grandparents, my dearest friend Suz........all loved and appreciated for various and sundry reasons.
• The hard knocks in life which have made me so appreciative of the good times.
• The good old days and the "best" which is yet to come.
• Coca Cola in a glass bottle.
• Daisy, BetziBu, Alyce, Mumz, MissieLoo and Maggie Mae-the furry creatures in my life who have in the past, or now bring me great joy and unconditional love. (yes, even the cat can love)
• Books
• Music
• Dancing until my legs cramp.
• Tiny little people who look at me with big bright eyes and say "Hi!"
• People with a sense of humor.
• The ability to laugh until my sides hurt.
• The Doctor, the Baker, the Candlestick maker...all the people in the World who make life easier for all of us.
• The physical beauty of the earth (when I really take the time to look at her wonders).
• Good times, bad times, all the in-between times.
• The Fireman who has taken me on the roller-coaster ride of my life.
  
• Being an American
• Being imperfect which gives me something to work toward.
• Being loved in spite of those imperfections.
• Everything automatic.
• Flannel jammies and fuzzy sox............................

Just to name a few, but reminding me that Life is indeed good. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Religion and Politics

Either of these subjects can lead a person into dangerous territory..that is; heated arguments, loss of friendships, judgement of one's sanity, hatred and ridicule, just to name a few. With that said, I will jump right in and state that I am a moderate "Demo-pendent" when it comes to politics (I shall avoid these today) and finally, after a lifetime of searching, reading the Old and New Testaments several times, along with many other religious books, participating fully in church services and activities, and seeking truth about religion and life's purpose since I was a very young girl, I have found an answer for myself.

This answer began to germinate nearly four years ago, when simply by gut feeling, I was compelled to go to the book store. Having no idea what I was looking to buy, I was led, again by this gut feeling, to the metaphysical section of that store. Yes, I have read many of this type book, some very thought provoking, others just plain ridiculous. So as I browsed through the titles, finding nothing pulling me in, I wondered what in the world I was doing there spending my precious time in futility. However, that darn gut feeling kept tugging at me until, on a lower shelf, I saw a small book entitled Conversations with God, Book 1, by Neale Donald Walsch. I somehow knew this was the book I should purchase that day, which I did. I went back to work and thought of this book for the rest of the day, anxious to read what MY self was trying to tell me. Later, I learned that these books (3) had been on the New York Times best seller lists for long periods of time. I had never heard of them.

I arrived home that evening, ignoring the Fireman, dinner, the dogs and the cat, taking time to get into my favorite flannel jammies, making myself comfortable on my bed, propped up by four big down-filled pillows, and started reading. I read those words with an increasing feeling of joy in my heart until all 211 pages had filled my head with a thousand questions when I finished that same evening. In the coming weeks, I read it over and over and over again. I shared it with some friends, co-workers and family members; some who read it and heard the message and some who read it and heard nothing. Either was OK by me. Later that same year, I obtained the trilogy of Conversations with God on CDs which have brought the words to life for me many times over. Certainly there are some things contained in this work that did not resonate as strongly as others in my heart. However, with each reading or hearing of these "conversations" my understanding becomes more clear.

In all honesty, there have been periods of time when I have not spent time with these words but when my soul thinks I need a refresher, it has nudged me into re-reading or listening once again.
I have been actively doing this for the past few weeks, sometimes forcing myself into stopping so that I can get the necessary duties at home done.

Today, after four years of studying these works and others by the same author or recommended by him, I am ready to declare that I have found my truth; something that rings true to me. It doesn't matter to me whether I am judged to be out of my mind, a heretic or anything else, I only care about what is truth for me and my soul and the joy this "knowing" brings to me. I love my God, my God love me equally. Of that I am 100% certain.

This post is in no way my attempt to proselytize anyone; it is simply my way of crying out, with no shame or reluctance, to the world of the joy I feel for the truths that make my soul sing.

Life is indeed, a bowl of cherries, even with the pits along the way! Love and peace to the world of humanity. Amen and goodnight.

The People Have Spoken

My first thought, at the end of a long evening last night, was: "Thank God and greyhound they're gone!" That is, the negative advertising, hateful comments and half-truths inundating the television, newspapers, and talk radio, and the division of family, friends and neighbors over this 2008 election.

I voted for the first time in the very early sixties and this truly is the most historical political moment I have known in my lifetime. Those of you born in the seventies or later can never know the division in this country during the Vietnam war or the Civil Rights movement. It was painful then and has been a struggle ever since. Today is our opportunity to once again become what the founding fathers, intended, "One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Certainly, every person has the right to his or her opinion and beliefs. However, our first responsibility is to be loyal to our country and it's leaders, supporting them in their efforts to bring us together as "One People" to bring this country out of the darkness of hatred (fear) into the light of love and acceptance for all.

John McCain, spoke of this with great eloquence, sincerity and grace in his speech last night. It is my hope for all of humanity that each of us, whether we supported or voted for him or not, will listen to those words and accept our responsibility to work together to bring the peace, hope and vision that was born when this nation was brought forth so many years ago.

The tears of joy shed last night should be a sign that God does indeed bless America.