Life's Loving Memories

JUST CURIOUS     "Life follows you, and sometimes it catches up to you.                                         Make good use of the present moment and radiate life."                                                                                                                                                      Sandra Lindsey Smith    --Life's Garden of Weekly Wisdom. Very often, around any holiday, I think about how quickly the years pass by, and all the things I have and haven't done....

  GRATITUDE-A LITTLE THING THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE "I am so blessed, I am so blessed, I am so grateful for all that I have." Karen Drucker, I Am so Blessed Eleven days left until Thanksgiving. What are you grateful for? I am grateful for being alive. Despite what events may be happening around me, I am thankful for my friends and family. I am thankful for my faith tradition, and for the ability we all have in America, to choose a faith that resonates with our individual soul. Each day I pray for peace in our world, and the ability for all to recognize the gift we have in sharing the talents that our diversity brings to the world. United we stand, divided we fall; and that unity means that the tapestry of our unique talents must be blended together to represent strength, in a world that works for all. I took a class this past year that was taught by one of the practitioners at our center, The Las Vegas Center for Spiritual Living. Gary Alaimo taught a class on Gratitude, a...

HIDE THE TURKEY, THANKSGIVING IS NEAR   “To my family: I love you. To the turkey: I’m sorry.” – Unknown My husband speaks of a childhood memory. He and his cousins would visit Grand Mother for every Thanksgiving he can remember. One year in particular he can remember going to visit, and enjoying playing with the young turkey she had purchased. From New Years to Valentine's Day, to Saint Patrick's Day, to all the birthdays celebrated early in the year, they played with Fred, the name they had given him. Eventually Thanksgiving Day came, and he and his cousins rushed to the back yard to play with Fred.  They moped around all day wondering where that darn bird could be.  There was much talk around the dinner as to where Fred could be. Finally, grandma could take it no longer and she said, " I don't know why you are crying about that turkey, he's right here in front of you on the dinner table." It was a blow to all the kids around the table, and it was the first ...

  OUT OF THE CHAOS - INTO PEACE, LOVE AND CARING "Regardless of what has happened to you in your life, regardless of how young or how old you think you might be...there's a power within you that's greater than the world. " Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith What does the world look like to you? Does it seem like it is going in the right direction? Do you feel a little uncertain about what to expect as events unfold around you?  Perhaps you are a little like me, feeling like the times are a little chaotic. What is chaos? The dictionary defines is as: 1. A condition or place of great disorder or confusion. 2. A disorderly mass; a jumble. What did it look like in my own home growing up? The house never really looked like it was cleaned up; everybody always had their own opinion, and they thought it was the right and only valid opinion;  when the family gathered, there were no preset plans as to what we were going to do for the day; but, in a pinch we all stuck together.  My p...

  A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP "The Spirit within me is in perfect rest. The center of my being is quiet and poised. I let my inner spirit fill my whole being with peace and stillness. With this word, I now relax in body and mind. I let Divine tranquility fill me." Ernest Holmes,                    --The Essential Ernest Holmes To sleep or not to sleep, that is the question. Whether to toss and turn, slumber deeply,  ruminate about something you could have done differently yesterday, or musing about the excitement of a new adventure in the day to come -- all of these are definite possibilities. But, what to do about dropping into a sound sleep? For me, when I can't sleep, it is usually because something is on my mind, something I need to work out, or something I don't want to forget to do. From an early age I have gotten in the habit of keeping a journal by my bed, to write about what is on my mind. I pick up my pen and let the word's ...

WHICH WITCH IS WHICH We are counting down the days to the next Halloween. What a fun time to dress up and step into the wonderful world of Imagination! Can you remember what your very first Halloween costume was? My mother wrapped me in a sheet, put a crown on my head and handed me a flashlight. She told me I was the Statue of Liberty. Through the years I have donned many costumes but I think my favorite ones were a boy scout, and when my husband and I dressed up like two peas in a pod. Being a high school drama teacher for about thirty years also helped me create so many memorable moments. Imagination is such a wonderful tool. Keeping it as we go through the years is such an amazing gift, and I think it really does make our wits grow sharper. So share the magic this Halloween, and may your treats be many, and your tricks be few. "Let your words include the positive self-talk that reaps a glorious Spiritual harvest! Sandra Lindsey Smith,              ...