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.

Merry Christmas!

Thinking about the birth of Jesus and the spiritual path onto which he has led so many. He is the example of how I want to live my life. Giving to others every way that I can. Treating my enemies as friends. And teaching others to do the same. Love is the answer. Jesus showed us the way. It is up to us to follow.

Merry Christmas! May you be surrounded by love from family, friends and spirit.

miracles

While I do believe miracles are possible, we can't sit around waiting for them. We must take action to pursue our goals and desires. This way we can enjoy our days as they are and be pleasantly surprised when something seemingly magical happens.

From my book, Finding Our Light

no regrets

More TV inspired philosophy... I live with chronic illness. Some face terminal illnesses. With diagnosis comes planning and coping. I've been watching Chasing Life from ABC Family about a young woman with leukemia. She does plenty of planning and coping. But when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly, it's a totally different story.

While some of us are overwhelmed by illness, we also need to treasure the present. Living a life with no regrets is so important. If you died today, would you be able to say you've had a wonderful life? (I sure can!) If there's something missing, take action and pursue those goals as best you can!

Enjoy your present! If need be, make some changes, even if those changes are only in your attitude. Changing circumstances is often difficult or impossible. Do what you can with what you have. No regrets!

being in love

Did you fall in love when you were a teenager? I've been watching the TV show "The Fosters" from ABC Family [on Netflix]. It has reminded me of how important I thought my boyfriends were. I loved them. I thought about them all the time. It was fun.

Now that I'm 45 years old, being in love has changed. I love my husband. I think about him all the time. We have fun. But the feeling seems different.

I suppose it's just life experience that makes love different over time. Looking at the teenagers in love on TV, I'm surprised at how serious love is. Love seems exponentially more serious now, but those teenage feelings were strong, too.

I'm glad I don't have offspring to guide through falling in love. I hope that the young ones in my life will have fun, feel deeply and appreciate their relationships. The tricky part I remember as a teenager was giving equal importance to my education and other aspects of life besides boys.

Every experience helps us learn. Lessons of love can be complicated but hopefully joyful, also.