many loves

Love

I love God

I love humanity

I loved my students

I love my friends

From childhood, from school, from college, from work, from the neighborhood

I love my family

Mom, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, nieces, nephew, husband, in-laws

So many loves. Each love is different, but all are significant.

It’s the best thing we can do with our lives. Give love, accept love, act with love.

Wishing you love and light!

laugh

I have been watching a great show from Australia called “Offspring."

I like to record things that make me laugh hysterically, though usually lack of sleep is what helps along the reaction. Anyway, one character jumped from a balcony and tried to catch his fall with his hands and ended up breaking his wrists. First I should say, the accident was not funny.

The part that made me laugh was watching him try to use a knife with his mouth to get peanut butter out of the jar onto bread. He gave up on the bread, just hoping for some peanut butter. He finally gets the peanut butter out only to lean back and have the peanut butter fall on his head.

Given the fact that I am disabled and know others who struggle with dexterity, I suppose I shouldn’t have laughed, but I hope the writers intended laughter. Anyway, life can be difficult, but if we laugh along the way things will be a little better.

make it up

"Liberal Arts" with Josh Radnor: Libby says: life is all #improv. Nothing is written. We just make it up as we go. 

Let's #make it good!

living in the moment

I am reaching new depths of living in the moment.

For as long as I can remember, I have been taking photos of family, friends and events. The way I write in my journal to preserve my memories, I loved having visual reminders of my life.

Due to my MS, I now lack the strength and dexterity to take pictures unless I have just the right set up time and no pressure. So taking pictures to document the things I do doesn’t really work anymore.

Now, when I am in the moment and want to photograph whatever is happening, I must sit back and take in the moment fully without documentation. Maybe I will do more writing to describe the things I see, but it’s not as satisfying.

So I am practicing taking in the sights and sounds and appreciating them just as they are. Wishing you many moments of things you love!

in our heart

Yesterday I watched the Netflix original film, "The Little Prince" based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I really like what they did with the story and the animation was great. I was reminded of a quote from his book: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly."

Whatever we can see in our heart will be with us always. Those who are not with us, remain in our heart as long as we remember.

The emphasis in the movie was in remembering what we learned in childhood, those things we often forget as grown-ups. The joy and wonder about each new thing and the connections we make as children, create the life we have now. We must practice looking at the world in joy and wonder. Life is always a little better with an open mind.

Enjoy your day and pay attention to the things and people that make you happy!

contemplate the moment

Do you ever feel like time goes too quickly? When I look back, I'm amazed at how much has gone by in the blink of an eye.

But I am also a big proponent of appreciating each day. When I take the time to look around and contemplate the moment, the time does not go by in a blur. The past does go quickly, but the present is a wonderful thing.

At the moment, I am cool in my comfortable apartment on a hot summer day. I had one friend helping me earlier and others coming soon. I've got this computer in front of me which helps me share my thoughts, watch movies, play with photographs, video chat with people at a distance, and do a variety of other activities.

This day will blend in with all the others when I look back from the future, but for now I am happy with life and myself just as we are.

I hope that you are enjoying your day and noticing life just as it is. And if it's not a day you can enjoy, there's bound to be one coming soon.

Faerie Tale

My friend Mary Groce wrote a lovely book called "Aunt Cora’s Wart, an Historical Faerie Tale." In a happy and gentle way she discusses philosophy and history. Most importantly, the main character gets lots of self-esteem building.

I was lucky to have a family who made me feel special and important. That feeling is the foundation that supports everything I do, from encouraging others to being strong enough to face many trials.

If you have young people in your life, please do all you can to make them feel special and important. It's amazing what kind words can accomplish when used freely and frequently.

And don't forget – no matter how old you are, right now and always, YOU are wonderful and make a difference in this world just by being you.

positive, masculine interactions

One positive I have noticed in entertainment – men hug each other.

While I have seen it on TV and movies in recent years, I think it is a fairly new phenomenon. Handshakes and high-fives have long been acceptable male interactions. It's really nice to see men start with a handshake, pull each other in for a hug and a strong pat on the back.

I've also seen fathers giving sons a kiss on the head. These are excellent examples of what we need to see more of in the media. Hugs and kisses aren't exciting and adventurous, but they can help find solutions to problems.

Netflix DVD recommendation – Necessary Roughness which used to be on the USA Network. Lots of examples of positive, masculine interactions.

limiting

Limiting guns is important. But also, we should be limiting the amount of violence we enjoy in our entertainment.

It seems as if we are condoning violence because it is used every day on TV and in the movies. I can't find anyone else who is saying this.

Am I the only one bothered by this? Am I the only one that sees a connection between our "violence is exciting, adventurous, and a possible solution to any problem" attitude and the violence that we see in the real world?

I usually try to stick to promoting the positive. I think I've been quiet too long. I'm going to start speaking out against the violence that is dousing the light of the world.

Wishing you all love and light!

sappy

On Twitter I saw a picture of 2 children with obvious differences interacting happily. The caption was, "Race: Humanity; Religion: Love." 

It is difficult to ignore differences. Rather, I think they should be embraced. How can we help others feel good about differences? How can we remove fear and hatred of the unknown?

How do we show others that LOVE is what we all have in common? We all want it and we all have some to give. How do we match up the love givers with those in need? I suppose we all have different views about what love is.

There are no easy answers to my questions. But I think it's important to keep talking about love. Even more important to keep offering love to others. Just a simple smile can do wonders.

My thoughts may sound sappy, but maybe that's what we need!

Today's Special

I try to avoid violence in the movies and TV shows I watch. So, I decided to begin posting brief entertainment recommendations for others who feel the same way.

Recommendation: "Today's Special" streamed on Netflix, a nice story about a chef, his family and their restaurant. 7/10 stars.

Memorial Day

Wishing you a blessed Memorial Day. It may not be a happy occasion, but I hope that we all focus on the happy memories we have of those brave men and women who fought to keep our country free and safe.

your actions

Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action. - Benjamin Disraeli

I really like this quote. There is so much out there telling us to think positively. I agree and encourage everyone to try it. But it is not enough to think. Our actions must also be positive. If we have something we want, think and pray, but also figure out the steps we need to take to achieve that something we want.

Some goals seem daunting, but when you break them up into smaller steps, you can reach them. And by all means, set your goals beyond your wildest dreams. You might be surprised that "beyond" is nearer than you think.

Be bold, think happy thoughts and let your actions take you to new heights.

life overall

Do you ever get frustrated about how difficult life can be? If so, look at your life overall. 

I get frustrated daily. But recently I noticed – look how great I'm doing!

Do you have money for food, clothing and shelter as well as some things just for fun? Do you have people you care about who care about you? Do you enjoy your job? Do you enjoy your free time?

I can answer yes to all of the questions above. In fact, I have an awesome life in spite of my daily difficulties. So I let the anger and sadness have their time, and then I remind myself that I am conquering each challenge.

You can do almost anything if you have confidence and take positive actions. Let the difficulties arise, then step over them to find something that makes you happy. I'm not saying it's easy, but you can do it!

darkness

Some interesting thoughts about perspective in the book “The World I Live In” by Helen Keller. The most important, I think, is that she said her world was no less than anyone's who can see and hear. She described a very broad, wonderful experience based in the senses of touch, smell and taste.

The thought that lingers with me is that darkness was not something negative for her. While so many of us, especially when we are young, fear the dark, Ms. Keller grew to be very happy there. She wrote a poem called "Chant of Darkness." Throughout the poem she repeats these lines:

"Out of the uncharted, unthinkable dark we came,

and in a little time we shall return again

into the vast, unanswering dark." Helen Keller

I've always imagined heaven/ where God lives to be a bright, sunny place. This gives me a different picture. It sort of fits with the idea that our universe is dark. When we look out above our planet, space is dark except for the objects in it. If God created our universe, perhaps he meant darkness to be comforting. Perhaps heaven is dark except for the spirits in it.

I'm not sure where I'm going with these thoughts. Curiosity is a wonderful thing that leads to learning. And there is so much in life to learn!

the pale blue dot

We humans take up such a very small part of the universe. A character in a movie I saw a recently (Men Women and Children) claimed that this made him feel as if nothing matters. He had watched the YouTube video "the pale blue dot" from Carl Sagan.

So, I watched it myself. At the end, Mr Sagan encourages us to be kinder to one another and cherish our planet. If this is all we have, let's make the most of it.

But I also believe that our words and actions matter. They affect our own lives and the lives of people we know. There is also a ripple effect. Our smile given to another may improve their mood, which can affect others they see. Who knows where the effects end? Could the ripples cross the globe, the galaxy, the universe? We will never know, but maybe.

So let's choose our words and actions to create the world we wish to see. Peace, love, and understanding!

write our own

So sad to say goodbye to Downton Abbey. Loved the characters and their stories. I'm always glad when a writer gives his characters happy endings. My first thought was: wouldn't it be nice if we could all write our own happy ending. My next thought was: actually, we can!

We're not in control of everything in our lives, but we are in control of our actions and reactions. If we work hard to pursue our goals, we often get what we want. If we run into unfortunate circumstances, it is up to us to make the best of it.

Some people meet one unfortunate circumstance after another and feel like nothing ever goes their way. Some people are unlucky. But we still have control over our feelings. This is not always easy. Anger and depression don't always go away just because that is our wish. Changing our feelings is possible, even if it takes lots of effort and time.

I work hard to release my anger and sadness so that I can move on to being happy. It often takes time and effort, but it is so worthwhile. I choose to feel good because that is what I want out of life.

Being happy is a choice. May you have good luck in your pursuit of happiness!

Helen Keller

 “I who cannot hear or see have every reason to sit in a corner with folded hands and weep. If I am happy in spite of my deprivations, if my happiness is so deep that it is a faith, so thoughtful that it becomes a philosophy of life,--if, in short, I am an optimist, my testimony to the creed of optimism is worth hearing.”

Excerpt From: Helen Keller. “Optimism.” 37Fides, 2012. iBooks. https://itun.es/us/PR7KI.l

Find ways to be happy. Ms. Keller did it. I'm doing it. So can you!

find some strength

With some early morning time to myself, I’ve been reading the Bible a bit. I’ve been doing this a lot lately. I’d like to learn from God, find some strength, and learn to listen. I’m kind of muddling my way through, but I think that’s ok, it’s part of the process. This is such a hard time in my life and I need help. It would be nice to add a deeper spirituality. Like the Blind Mellon song –“when life is hard you have to change.” With a little luck, it’s for the better. 

From my book, Finding Our Light

simple

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. --Thich Nhat Hanh

faith

I think it's healthy to question one's faith from time to time. I've been reading "The Crone" by Barbara G Walker that some friends gave me. I've only read three chapters so far, but I am amazed at the history of feminism and religion.

For thousands of years, there have been stories about who created our world. I know about Christianity from the Bible. I've read briefly about Hinduism and Buddhism. So many stories about what we need to do to live our best life.

Learning about so many other stories in this book has me wondering. Aren't we all just making up stories to make ourselves feel better and explain things we don't understand? Maybe if they are just made up stories, the atheists are right and life is simply what we see in front of us.

I started thinking about what that would mean for me. I would feel very lonely. I like believing that there is something or some One all around us. When I'm alone and frustrated, angry or sad I do feel like there is someone with me.

Maybe it's only part of my personality or part of my intuition. It's kind of nice to think that somehow I am comforting myself.

Still, I choose to believe we are part of something greater that we can only try to understand. So, I do have strong beliefs though my faith is uncertain.

I hope that you are confident in your faith. Or, if you believe we are only what we see, I hope you find comfort and understanding in other ways.