Life's Loving Memories

 LET WISDOM LEAD THE WAY “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”                                                                               ―  Maya Angelou I read a wonderful blog by an old friend from Kennewick, Washington. She spoke of the Wisdom that comes from aging gracefully. She said something that I totally agree with, "They are not grey hairs, they are wisdom highlights."  Something that I have always said, is that as I age, I find that I have less to worry about. Things I worried about in my twenties and thirties, seem to drift way as I enter into my forties, fifties, sixties, and now seventies. It seems that the really important things rise to the surface, friend...

 ONE SMALL  LIGHT DISPELS THE DARKNESS "To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and expect only the best." Christian D. Larsen,                               --From " The Optimist Creed" Another morning dawns and I still keep America in my prayers. I pray for all who have been displaced; for all people who have lost their jobs; and for those whose lives are threatened. May there be a wake-up call to release the chaos and and replace it with Love and Humanity and Understanding. May we practice Kindness and Compassion, creating a contagion of Goodness and Justice and Unity. Many of us have friends, neighbors and relatives that are touched by the conditions in our nation today. Shower the world around you with kindness and compassion. Write some postcards to share you views with local politicians. Remember it is a wide variety of cultures, ethnicities, genders, who are the human beings w...

EBB AND FLOW "Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all."                    George Washington.   Is the current state of our nation driving you a little crazy?  One action that is a really bad idea is suddenly reversed? Do you ever look back to simpler times when people thought that telling the truth was the right thing to do; that honoring all people was the right thing to do; and my favorite what if, what if we remember that having neighbors nearby meant that we treat them right, and they return the support. I think of the uncertainty of the times, and wonder, what is next. Then I remember the words of President Jimmy Carter When he said: "A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It is a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness...

 THE GREATER GIFT "There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It is why you were born and how you become most truly alive."              --Oprah Winfrey Through my life I have had many careers: working in a deli shop; working in the costume department at CSU Fullerton; teaching speech and drama classes for over 37 years; and then retiring and stepping in to ministry. Each job I had led to something new and rewarding. I stop and think what all my many experiences of work had in common, and came to the conclusion that all of them were Spirit led. Each gave me the gift of sharing myself with others. I am alive in 2025 writing, speaking, being involved in numerous projects, and sharing community with my loving and wonderful Spiritual Community, Las Vegas CSL.  What is your gift to yourself and others? Is your gift sharing quality time with your friends and family? Encouraging others to reach for their highest and...

 LOVINGLY TAKE A STAND "God put the stamp of individuality upon you and called it you?" Ernest Holmes When I was teaching high school in my early years, I remember saying, "After you graduate and go on to the rest of your life, you will be surprised at how many of your former classmates are Gay or Lesbian. Some forty years later LGBTQ is the new moniker. In my opinion, a friend is a friend no matter who he /she is. All my friendships are based on common interests, kindness, caring and interesting conversations.  Now consider who your friends are. Do you still keep in touch with them?  Do they form a wonderful tapestry of interesting backgrounds? I believe that we were created as exactly who we were meant to be, flaws and all. I wish for you a treasure trove of friends and family who love you, and remember, as a wall-hanging in my home says, "Friends are the family you choose." I believe our own nation should reflect the vast variety of inhabitants that make up ...

STICKING PINS "Don't be a prisoner of ignorance. The world is larger, far more complicated, and far more wonderful that ignorance allows."                         Maya Angelou,           --Rainbow in the Sky Do you ever feel like a pin cushion and life seems like you are getting poked and prodded from all directions; late at night, in the morning, constantly making you feel like it will never stop?  Prices rising, making it feel like you are having a bad dream? Despite the insanity that is going on around us we need to set the radio dial on something we would like to be happening, and then get involved in some way. "We may not be able to do great things", but as Mother Teresa would say, "we can do little things with great love." How are you doing in your own family? Do you discuss what is going on in our world and think of how to help people who are affected by the political changes flyin...