Life's Loving Memories

  BE A BUILDER Years ago I remember my niece said to me, "Aunt Sandy, you are such a builder". I guess she did see the optimism in me. One of the things I enjoyed about teaching drama for so many years, was watching my students grow. Friends, family, and even those who randomly cross your path, can benefit from a random honest complement or even just a heartfelt smile. Be the person who takes the time to listen. Sometimes it is the best gift you can give to someone. I received that gift from my mother when she was alive. I remember that after I      was finished with what I needed to say, she would ask, "Do you want some advice, or was just sharing  enough?" It usually was enough, but I did enjoy her wisdom. She lived to be ninety-six, and in those later years I was able to return the favor of listening to her, and nodding and smiling as she spoke. It was hard for her to hear anyone, so it was my gift to just listen. "What we focus our attention on, is what sho...

TO DOUBT OR NOT TO DOUBT   "Dream your dreams, for in them lies, truth denied to men grown wise." Richard Bach Do you ever feel you have a great idea, and you start moving forward on it only to find yourself wondering if it was a great idea or not? Do you ever make a list of the pros and cons of the situation? I know that I do that. Sometimes I am up at all hours. I pour myself  cup of tea, sit in my comfortable chair and take it into meditation. Very often I will start with, "Spirit, what do I need to know about this idea?" And then I sit and sip my tea and listen with my head and heart. When I need to speak with Spirit, I pray. When I want to listen to spirit, I meditate. If not immediately, within the next day or so, the answer comes. One of my faults is that I am too compassionate. In any project I step into, I want to include all people who want to be included. In teaching drama for some twenty-seven years, I always found a spot to include even the most timid c...

FASTENERS-DO THEY HOLD THNGS IN OR KEEP THEM OUT? "When you're at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on." — Theodore Roosevelt Consider a fastener on a loaf of bread for a moment. Many loaves come in a plastic bag with some sort of fastener on the end, a twister tie, or a plastic tab. Is that fastener meant to freshly hold the bread in the bag, or to keep anything unwanted from entering? What about human beings? Do we try to keep things inside, events that happen: the loss of a loved one, an illness that occurs, a marriage that just isn't working? If we never address the issue, we are actually keeping the pain inside while keeping a possible solution out. What happens when you keep a problem bottled up, allowing it to fester inside you? Does the situation ever get resolved? It is amazing what sharing a problem with a trusted family member or friend can do to lighten your load. Sometimes it helps to find a group of strangers who are experiencing the situation yo...

  HELLO SPRING The spring wakes us, nurtures us and revitalizes us. How often does your spring come? If you are a prisoner of the calendar, it comes once a year. If you are creating authentic power, it comes frequently, or very frequently.        -- Gary Zuka My favorite time of year is Springtime; flowers bloom in so many vibrant colors: Canadian Geese squawk through the air; weather warms up; and birds share there song, while rabbits hop lazily through the flowering bushes. Nature shares its natural beauty, and I feel like I am fueled with joy/ What is your earliest memory of Spring? Mine was planting a vegetable garden with my Mom. We were up to our ears in dirt, busily planting green peppers, radishes, and string beans. My mother planted vegetables to save money, but to me, it was just a fun day spent with her. I think my happiest memories came from activities that didn't cost any money. Perhaps that's a great lesson to think about. I wish you well this Spri...