The Blessings of This Year


Celebration of blessings

Celebration of blessings

No matter where you live, or whatever your culture, it is a great time of year to look at your blessings. I am having my first snow this year and I am very unhappy about it. Then  I realized that it isn’t so bad after all because of what really matters in my life.

This year has gone by very quickly. Amazingly quickly. It seems like yesterday that I was visiting my best friend in North Carolina. And today is a week until New Years. This year, for me personally has brought love, tears, joy, excitement, silence, music, friends, family, health issues and some healing.

This year has brought surprises and a wedding. It has brought sadness and loss of people who carry parts of my heart. The year brought some financial blessing and the ability to share.

This year I worked on developing a side of myself I had never experienced before. I am excited to see this blossoming in my life. It is quite amazing to me to see this new side of me. And, of course, as I change the world and people around me change. I hope that I am able to add some positive and loving energy to all the people in my world and I hope it will radiate out to others.

I am grateful for the laughter as well as tears. I am grateful for days of brilliant sunshine and gentle breezes. I am grateful for the Divine within me and the reality that brings to my life! I am love, I am loving, and I am the Beloved. I am grateful for each person I have met here. Our virtual home that gives us the ability to meet, to share, and to understand this journey we are all experiencing  together. It is a privilege to have gotten to know you and and to experience this together.

I can see a web of loving, giving, sharing, and good people forming the threads of caring and positive thoughs that circles our planet and helps to counteract the bad things that happen. Our prayers, positive thoughts, and our ability to love others is helping to heal Mother Earth and we are slowly replacing suffering with peace.

Thanks to all of you for your dedication and good hearts.

Bob Marley said it so well. One World, One God, One life. Do what you can do to add positive energy to our world.

Bob Marley said it so well. One World, One God, One life. Do what you can do to add positive energy to our world.

A Quick Message


The bridge from grandma's house

The bridge from grandma’s house

I would like to take a moment to say I am home and before going to bed, I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday and a joyous day with your families and friends. It has been a real pleasure to “meet” all of you and you. Your blogs and comments brighten my days.

Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays

Traveling


Marblehead lighthouse

Marblehead lighthouse

Just a quick note to let my followers know I will be away with the youngest kids. We are driving and meeting half way. I will return on 24th. Blessings to all!

The Winter Solstice


wintercardinal

Traditionally, the solstice is a time of quiet, dreaming, and the light and warmth of fire. The sounds all have a cold primitive purity as they ring out. The rivers are still and the land waits patiently for spring to come. Walking at night this time of year yields a pure silence which I think of as Divine. The sky is full of stars and planets which seem brighter and larger than usual.

During the season of the Solstice, try to atune yourself to Mother Earth and honor the four directions, the land you are standing upon. Allow yourself to become aware of the wind as it sweeps around you. Come into contact with the Universe inside and outside yourself.

winterpines

A Litany for the Winter Solstice

For the return of the sun—blessing and praise!
For the gifts we give–and receive–blessing and praise!
For all of the gift givers—blessing and praise!
For the Children of Wonder—blessings and praise!
For children everywhere—blessing and praise!
For sunsets and starlight–blessings and praise!
For fabulous feast days—blessings and praise!
For those who cook them—blessings and praise!
For the tree in the corner—blessings and praise!
For the candles in the window—blessings and praise!
For the icicles on the trees—blessings and praise!
For light on the snowfields—blessings and praise!
For the gifts of friendship—blessings and praise!
For hand-bell ringers—blessings and praise!
For the robin and wren—blessings and praise!
For animals everywhere—blessing and praise!

Winter beach

Winter beach

Blessings to all as they celebrate this holy season for so many people on our planet. Committing random acts of kindness is a way to bless yourself and others in your life.

Most Influential Blogs of 2012


I got this idea from ObamaCrat. He has a post on his amazing blog entitled “The Most Influential Blogs of 2012“.

I was thinking, it would be cool if I chose the blogs I thought were The Most Influential Blogs Of 2012…so here goes:

The Rules:
There are no rules for this award except you MUST pay it forward, and that means, sometime in the next 6 months, you “should” chose the blogs you deem worthy of your label of The Most Influential Blog Of 2012, to you.
That’s it. Only rule.

Now For MY Most Influential Blogs Of 2012:
Each blog chosen by me, has in some small or huge way influenced me in some way, be it by inspiration or by information.

Since this is NOT an award, there is no guilt associated with accepting. Just enjoy.

cravesadventure

crowingcronejoss

niltsi’s spirit

 

Spice of Life

 

Cosmic Loti

carolisle

Time to Begin Healing


He is my brother

He is my brother

The town of Newton and the country need to begin the long process of healing. There has been a frightening amount of negative energy released into the world this year. Yes, it does happen every year, but somehow this one felt worse. So what to do?  What is the response of rational, thinking, feeling, caring citizens?.

There is a lot of negative energy right now and the numbers of people who have died due to violence is escalating. How should we react in the face of all of this negativity? We use love and light. We walk our spiritual paths and we surround our country with white protective light.

I am talking about working on the spiritual plane right now. The government can and I hope, will handle the issues of violence and gun control facing us now.  When we face people with negativity, hatred,  greed or power seeking, we need to use compassion, love, and light to carry the message of love and peaceful living into the world.

The idea of meeting violence with violence is not good because it escalates the issues. Caring about other beings is vital for us as children of the Universe. Meeting violence with love is the place I think we need to begin. We need to use forgiveness, compassion as well as light and love to heal our own hearts and to  prevent hearts from filling  with hatred and violence.

There are a lot of people who are working very hard to doom our beautiful world into darkness. We need to be more positive, show more kindness, act with more compassion and find more of the beauty that is in our lives. We need to give more, stand up and speak the truth more and deal with our anger. We need to go to anger management or therapy. We need to realize our anger does not give us the right to react violently when we disagree with someone.

We need to praise good work and honest effort. We need to listen to the wisdom, gained through years of living, of those who have earned their wisdom from facing and dealing with the many issues that come up in the journey of a lifetime.

The Wild Rose of Praise

“Those unable to grieve,

Or to speak their love,

Or to be grateful, those

Who can’t remember God

As the source of everything,

Might be described as vacant wind,

Or a cold anvil, or a group

Of  frightened old people.

Say the Name. Moisten your tongue

With praise, and be the spring ground,

Waking. Let your mouth be given

Its gold-yellow stamen like the wild rose’s.

As you fill with wisdom,

And your heart with love,

There’s no more thirst.

There’s only an unselfed patience

Waiting on the doorsill, a silence

Which doesn’t listen to advise

From people passing in the street.”

————Sanai

The poet Sanai lived in the twelfth century.                                                                                                                                                                                                            Children laughing once again                                            

Let Peace Happen

Let Peace Happen

Happychildren


Goodbye sweet souls. Rest well in God’s arms and know that you will never be forgotten, sweet angels.


No matter your spiritual path, living and sharing light and love make the world glow with joy and goodness.

Penny L Howe's avatarThe Why About This

five glowing orbs

The Five Golden Orbs

The children found them hidden inside the bushes in the back yard just as the sun was setting. They noticed the glow of lights coming from within the small holly bush. Mystified, they had walked up slowly to the shining bush and peered in through the holly leaves.

Five shining orbs of gold lay nestled hidden in the crooks of the branches inside the bush.

“What are they?” The girl child asked.

“I don’t know!” The boy child answered.

They were curious and the glow coming from the shiny orbs was not scary. The emitting light was golden and soft.

one golden orbThe boy reached in and grabbed one of the orbs. It was warm to the touch. But not too warm, just pleasantly so. The girl seeing that the orb rested comfortably in the boy’s hand reached in and grabbed another orb. She held it close and…

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Do We Heal or do We Listen to the Dollars Spread Around by the Gun Lobby


babymemories

As a nation, there is unbearable pain and shock. Babies killed purposely by a troubled child. A troubled child who shot his Mother four times in the head and killed 20 little angels. Each day, while doing normal activities of life, suddenly I remember the tragedy. I have nine grandchildren and I want to throw up.

I think it is important to honor every hero. The teachers and other staff members. Whoever turned the PA system on to warn the other teachers and children. The first responders who will carry such horror within their hearts for the rest of their lives. Each one of these is a hero/heroine. I know that there are heroes we aren’t aware of but the Divinity in the Universe knows of your kind and compassionate behavior.

The violence and anger and hatred that is filling our society will not win. Those of us who are spiritual will not let that happen. We will continue to put light and love into the world. We will pray and meditate for peace and love and acceptance. We will not judge those who are different.

Our country needs to control violent video games and guns. Assault guns and huge magazines are insane. Who needs 30 rounds to kill a deer? What mother needs six guns in the house to feel safe? Therapy is a much better choice, a very necessary choice. Don’t listen to them. Listen to the cries and weeping of the people of Newton, Conn.

If you watch the memorials taking place in Newton, you will see the raw emotion of people whose lives have been touched by violence and guns. I don’t understand how the NRA can say anything. They will though and we need to use all of our emotional strength and every ounce of love in our hearts to turn away from them and think about our country’s loss and pain.

I pray, I honor the people of Newton, the victims, angels all. I pray for the parents who can’t tuck them into bed at night anymore. I pray for the first responders who are having nightmares. I pray for the children who went back to school today. Can you imagine who frightened these babies must have felt this morning? I pray that sanity and love will fill our society and we will put children in the priority they deserve.

Rest In Peace, sweet angels. You will never be forgotten.

Grief is often solitary and always full of pain. May the loving Beloved heal all hearts that are grieving and in pain.

Grief is often solitary and always full of pain. May the loving Beloved heal all hearts that are grieving and in pain.

The rainbow is a promise to Noah and to all of us.

The rainbow is a promise to all of us.