Life's Loving Memories

EVERYTHING NEW "I am ready for my next thing to do, everything different, everything new." Daniel Nahmod  Image what it would be like to be a baby chick still inside it's shell, just waiting to break out of confinement. There you are, cramped inside the shell just waiting to emerge into the unknown. Tentatively you start tapping on the outer wall. You tap harder, and slowly you break out. There you are in a new environment, feathers still damp from your old experience. You wiggle and stretch you wings, take a few wobbly steps, ready for your next thing to do. As humans, we are a little bit like that baby chick. Events happen in our lives that cause us to try something new, to resurrect into a new experience. Losing a loved one; changing jobs; moving to a new state, into a new home; or recovering from an illness; something different, something new--all can cause us to freeze up, or all those same moments may eventually waken us to new possibilities.  Ernest Holmes reminds ...

  MY THOUGHTS AND WORDS ARE POWERFUL "No creative process can begin until a decision is made.....Having made the decision, every right idea will flow into my consciousness. Each idea will reveal itself at the instant I need it." The Power of Decision,                        --Raymond Charles Barker Have you ever had an idea about something you would like to do, but you never followed through on it because it never seems that the time was right, or you just don't know exactly how you would go about it? Try sitting down for a half hour or so and start writing about it. Sometimes your creative process needs some fuel, a little bit of kindling to ignite the idea. If writing isn't your thing, find a trusted friend to bounce some of your ideas off of. There are so many things in my own life that started with an idea. Once I decided  that my idea had merit, I decided to pursue it. When I wrote my first book, I wrote it, an...

  PEACE WITH PURPOSE "Let there be Peace on earth and let it begin with me." I remember reading a bumper sticker some years past, that read, "If thoughts are things, think Peace." Then, while browsing the internet today I saw a posting, by the Baha'i Faith, asking for the entire globe to put one minute aside, each day to prayer for Peace. There is a list for times around the world to take the time each day to pray for peace, the United State's time slot is 1:00 pm. Studies have shown that group consciousness is very affective. If you have been wondering what you can do for world consciousness, perhaps this is a small start. Set the timer on your phone for 1:00 pm, and add to the vibration of thoughts for Peace. "Peace consciousness". The last Sunday of this month, March 29th, The Las Vegas Center for Spiritual Living, is having a "Heart of Peace" service that starts at 9:30, come in person or join us on line. It is devoted to  praying for...

 WAKING UP TO KINDNESS, PEACE AND TRUTH "Love is a synonym for God"            --Ralph Waldo Emmerson Have you ever experienced something you immensely dislike, gone to sleep the same night, and woken up the next morning praying that what really happened to you was just a nightmare? As the morning progressed you realize that what you experienced was real? What did you do about it? In my forties, I went through a divorce. At the same time I was involved in a Toastmasters Club that met at The Center for Joyful Living in Bonita, California. I had been attending Toastmasters for three years in the same place. One day, I picked up a brochure that advertised the center, that had also been there for three years. After reading the brochure, I went to the Center the very next Sunday. I discovered the faith that I had believed all my life, and found that there were other people who believed the same thing. Going through my divorce allowed me to realize that I ha...

MARCH OPENS ITS EYES " The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.”                                                                       ―  Mahatma Gandhi Oh my word, one more event in the Middle East to examine; and a choice as we decide how to examine it. Do we respond with minds, hearts, and clarity; or automatically react to it with bombs and unrest.   My prayers are for peaceful resolutions, for protecting children and innocent citizens, and for the wisdom to consider what is ours to help with, and what is not. In our own communities and the nation itself, there are many situations that require our attention. Peace starts from within, so does helping humanity: food and shelter for the homeless; health care for those who have none; education for those seekin...

 EXPRESS YOURSELF " I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”   – Mother Teresa Remember the expression, "If you see something say something"? Yesterday I heard our ministers at LVCSL speak brilliantly about, "The Edge of Possibility." The general message was that peace is possible, and there is a difference between "Peace" and "Harmony". Peace is basically the absence of violence, where harmony is a blend of something. Voices, instruments, people working together for a common cause, are all examples of this harmony.  Another phrase you may have heard, is, "It takes a village." To me this says, it takes  people working together to generate peace in this world. Rev Cheryl spoke of peace being possible, and I agree. It does begin with a positive mindset. Spirit has given us eyes to see, ears to to hear, and brains, and voices to speak with. Express your opinion, especially if y...

IT STARTS WITH KNOWING "Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth; lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust;  lead me from hate to love, from war to peace. Let peace fill our heart, our world, our universe."   From the Hindu Upanishads, by Satish Kumar I read an email from a friend this morning that spoke about training dogs with love. It spoke about using positive thoughts when speaking to your pets. For example, instead of screaming "Get down", say softly but firmly, "Paws on the floor". What a great lesson for people as well. When something bothers you, can you express it without heat in your voice? There is so much going on in our world today that I find unsettling. I could start shouting about all of these things until my voice becomes hoarse, but would that solve any problems-- probably not. Instead I can start my day with mindful practice. Instead of "Paws on the floor", "Mind stayed on Peace." The problems are...

BEING THE  WISDOM, LIGHT, AND LOVE THAT GOD IS  Liberty, Humanity, Justice, Equality —  Susan B. Anthon y What does it mean to experience "Real Love"? If real love automatically excludes someone or something, can it be real love? What are some of your own key values. I think Susan B. Anthony hit a few of mine. Liberty, humanity, justice and equality, are important to me, and I believe they go hand in hand with Real Love, and creating a world that works for all. What are some ways in your own community that you can contribute your talents to organizations that help in providing food, shelter, and support for those who can use it?  A woman's shelter in Kennewick, Washington created a bakery that taught women how to make bread, pastries, and pasta that they could sell to the public. It provided training, a small salary, comradery and purpose in women's lives. What volunteer organizations provide a meal for those who share their time assisting with projects. Volunteering...

ADDRESSING DIFFICULT TOPICS WITH WISDOM AND LOVE "If one has courage, nothing  can dim the light which shines from within." Maya Angelou What happens when someone you love says or does something hurts your feelings very deeply? Do you immediately respond in like manner, stinging him or her with biting words of retaliation? Do you storm off to another room to cry, or phone a friend and go over what happened to you blow by blow? There was a time in my life where I would have done any one of these things. Through experience I have found that the only wise and loving thing I can do to resolve the issue is to address it with wisdom and love. This may take leaving the room for a while, allowing myself to think about what happened, but eventually I need to share what I felt in the moment it happened. In my first marriage, I made a very large mistake in my checking account. I had written a check for a bill that was much more than what was really due. As a result, a check my former hu...

WE ARE ALWAYS AT CHOICE  " Your purpose, big or small, is to be happy in what you do and bring happiness into the lives of others." Sandra Lindsey Smith,                                      --Life's Garden of Weekly Wisdom It's still winter time, and still a little chilly outside. Here in Las Vegas, it was 32 degrees, and I was cold. Then I looked at the weather channel and saw the weather up in the Northeast of the nation, and counted my blessings. I think we are always at choice, at least in the way we react to things that happen.  I was a teacher in the early part of my career, and I had one young student who always came into my room in a very grumpy mood, and after a few weeks went by he arrived early, and not surprisingly, in a grumpy mood. I asked him if he was mad at me, and he said no. Then I replied that I vas very delighted to hear that, and remarked that I wondered if oth...

  OUT OF THE MIRE, AND INTO LIFE "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Does life get you down sometimes? Something you were once great at is presenting you challenges in the present? Are there things you need to let go of to make room for different ways to use your talents? How often do you get out and share community with friends; take walks in the park by yourself or with others; listen to music you enjoy? Here's an idea that I am going to try this week, and  I invite you to join me. Call a few friends or family this week, and find out what is going on in their lives. Ask about what books they have read or good movies they have watched. If they live close by, find out if they would like to go out for a cup of coffee, go for a walk, or come to your house to play a game. Maybe there is a class you could take together or a hobby you would like to share. Maybe there is an organization nearby where you could share your talent of being in service to others.  I think th...

  REFLECTIONS-CAUSE AND EFFECT "There is no such thing as your mind, my mind and God's Mind. There is only Mind, in which we all "live and move and have our being." Ernest Holmes,   -- The Science of Mind Textbook January is a time of reflection for me. I think of how life has unfolded for me: teaching theatre from the middle of my thirties into my early fifties; a divorce in my forties; finding my first Science of  mind Church in Bonita, California; surviving colon cancer; all of these experiences have brought me to who I am today. Every change in my life experiences were causes that led to the right and perfect action. Finding a spiritual teaching like Science of Mind was the perfect catalyst for life-enhancing change. Studying the teaching made me realize that everything happens for a reason, and that new pathways open to new and better ideas. If you have had some less-than-perfect things happen in your life, when you pause and reflect, very often you realize, day...

A NEW DAY-A NEW YEAR "Love dissolves fear, but we have to give up the fear." Life's Garden Grows ,        --Sandra Lindsey Smith   January, a time when we are reborn into a new year; a chance to let go of the past and embrace newness. Perhaps the new year seems a little scary, in the news there are new events occurring daily that make us fearful of what may  happen next. War, finances, the price of groceries, the security of social security, health care costs, having a safe place to live--all of the uncertainty, the kaleidoscope of  what may happen, looms before us.  But also take a look at the way these challenges are being brought out into the open. Light is being shed on so many inequities. Out of the chaos comes compassion, caring for others, people standing up for what they believe is right. It's a new day, it's a new dawn. Start with your own community, who can you help, how can you share talents with neighbors. Where can you share your idea...