World Meditation for Peace

At a time when people around the world are suffering in some way or another, the middle east, Russia and Ukraine just to name a few, I strongly urge you, my faithful readers to participate in this event tomorrow.  It’s free and together we can make a difference.  Meditation is so beneficial for our mental and emotional health.  And it looks like this powerful meditation might even make the Guiness Book of Records!  Wow!

An amazing man, Deepak Chopra, will be facilitating this event and if you’ve never heard him, you’re in for a special treat.  The time in the U.S. is 12:00 noon EDT. Namaste’

Go here to sign up for this spectacular event:  http://globalmeditation.chopra.com

Regina (Gina) Arnold is the author of Uncomplicated Ways to Find Your Financial Freedom, a “flunked retirement” entrepreneur, co-author of The Art & Science of Recruiting, an award-winning photographic artist,  and photo blogger.

Letters to Marilyn

Have you ever started a journal or diary only to keep up with it for a while and then, slowly but surely, your entries dwindled down to nothing?  We start out with good intentions, trying to capture our lives on a blank sheet of paper.  And then the internal critic and/or editor takes over … ahhh, yes, that part of the mind that says “who cares what you have to say.”  “Really?  You’re writing down what you had for dinner?”

Or your English teacher from high school somehow creeps back into your head and you find yourself hearing that voice about verbs, nouns, adjectives and prepositions.  Or worse yet … handwriting.  I can hear mine now, “Watch your penmanship!”  OMG!

Well … (drum roll please) … I’ve found the solution to all those self-sabotaged attempts to put my life on paper.

LETTERS TO MARILYN. (photo below)

Someone once suggested that I write to someone, anyone, living or dead, fictional or non-fictional character – in my journal – so that my inner critic has to take a hike.  So I’ve chosen to write to Marilyn.  I love Marilyn, and since she’s already gone to that big Hollywood in the sky, she can’t say anything, can she?  And if she could, I think she would be honored that I chose to write to her.  But the sole purpose of me writing to Marilyn is for me to get my thoughts onto the page.   I could write to Batman, Robin, the Joker, Buddha, Lincoln, Mother Teresa, the pope … anybody!  So can you.

To my English teacher and my inner critics I say:  A done “something” is better than a perfect “nothing.”  I have the feeling that my kids and grandkids might find a few chuckles in these pages after I’m gone.  They’ll also find out things about me that I probably didn’t think to tell them while I’m still putting one foot in front of the other here on this planet.

So here’s to you and me, Marilyn … may you hear from me for a long, long time.  Namaste’

An Open Letter to Forgiveness

Dear Forgiveness,

You’re giving me such a hard time right now.  My ego says “That person hurt you and someone you love!  Don’t let ’em get away with that!  You have a right to be angry and upset.”

Then there’s YOU who says, “Never does the human soul appear so strong and noble as when it forgoes revenge and dares to forgive injury.“   (Edwin Hubbel Chapin Universalist minister, author)

I guess I’ll try and remember that and, for your sake and mine, I will not send the nasty letter I was going to send.  But I think I’ll write it anyway, just to get it off my chest. Then I’ll probably burn it.

Is that bad?

How do the guys feel about this?

This video came to my inbox and I found it to be very profound.  My question, though, is this:  do men feel the same way?  Let me know your comments below. Have a great Sunday.  Namaste’

Amazing or Not?

When I saw this amazing video, I realized I just had to post it.  Namaste’

It Comes Down to This?

The past few days seem like such a blur, with moving Mom and the details and coordination work that it entails.  Such a stressful time for all of us.  Hubby was so good yesterday to move all the boxes from her old apartment to the new one.  That paved the way for the movers this morning to get the job done a LOT quicker.  Saved her some money, too, because they charge by the hour.  I sure hope she appreciates him.  I know I sure do.

Hubby and I were both pretty tired last night.  I was just thinking as I went to turn off the light in the bathroom right before falling into bed, “I can’t wait to get back to photographing some fun things.”  Lo and behold!  What do I see?  A mosquito eater just hanging around on the mirror.  As I snapped the picture with my phone, I thought, “Is this what it’s come down to?”  Snapping photos in the bathroom?  Aaaarrrghh!  Oh well, at least I had some fun editing this one with the Paper Camera app.  Namaste’

The Reluctant Blogger

Yep, that’s me!  (No, not really).  By now you all know I’m not reluctant about blogging.  I’ve just been really busy getting Mom prepared to move to a smaller place.  She will be 90 next week so it’s a little hard for her to comprehend that she needs to down-size now that Bud has passed.  Hubby and I will go over there tomorrow to move some of the boxes from the old unit to the new one.  The movers will be there on Thursday.  Let the fun begin!  Ugh!

I’m just grateful that the retirement community she’s in had a one-bedroom available.  Those places make a LOT OF MONEY on our senior citizens.  If I told you how much they were overcharging her while Bud was in the rehab center it would curl your hair!  I had a little meeting with the general manager yesterday … hmmm.  A credit will be given.

But on to better things.  We know that Buddy is in a good place so now we have to take care of Mom.  I’ll be busy for the next few days but plan to be back in full swing next week.  Yeah, Yeah, I know … we’ve all heard that before, right?  But you know what John Lennon said … “life is what happens when we’ve made other plans.”  Namaste”

Today’s photo is one from when hubby and I went to the nursery.  I love the stone statues.

And Then It is Winter

I received an email from a very dear friend of mine … a life-long friend actually.  One that I’ve known and loved for 50 years.  How many of us can be so lucky as to have a friend for that long?  I consider myself very blessed indeed.  Anyway, here’s the email – republished for you all to think about and enjoy.  Maybe we’re not all in our “winter” yet but even so, the meaning of this is appropriate for all human beings.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AND THEN IT IS WINTER

You know. . . Time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But, here it is… The winter of my life and it catches me by surprise….How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is…my friends are retired and getting grey…they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me…but, I see the great change…Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant…but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore… it’s mandatory! Cause if I don’t on my own free will… I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so…now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I’m not sure how long it will last…this I know, that when it’s over on this earth…it’s over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done…things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in a lifetime.

So, if you’re not in your winter yet…let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don’t put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life…so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember…and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!

“Life” is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

LIVE IT WELL!

ENJOY TODAY!

DO SOMETHING FUN!

BE HAPPY !

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

And I Love each and everyone of you, some as my children, or grand & great grandchildren, and some as old friends or relatives, and one special one “just because I want to”.

Remember “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver”

LIVE HAPPY IN 2013!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN,YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE SO – ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

~Your kids are becoming you……but your grandchildren are perfect!

~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!

~You forget names…But it’s OK because other people forgot they knew you!!!

~You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything…. Especially golf.

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don’t care to do them anymore.

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It’s called “pre-sleep”.

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an “ON” and “OFF” switch

.~You tend to use more 4 letter words … “what?”…”when?”… ???

~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it’s not safe to wear it anywhere.

~You notice everything they sell in stores is “sleeveless”?!!!

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

~Everybody whispers.

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet…. 2 of which you will never wear.

~ But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, “OLD FRIEND!” Send this on to other “Old Friends!” and let them laugh in an AGREEMENT!!!

It’s Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.!!!

The photo below really is the last of my “winter” pictures.  I just thought it was appropriate for the theme of this post.  Namaste’

Therapy and the Oscars

I consider today’s photo to be a form of therapy for me.  This was taken on one of our trips to a nursery and I just loved these orchids.

Why do I need therapy?  Because I’m frustrated that I can’t seem to find answers about a life situation I find myself immersed in.  Both my mother and stepfather are close to 90 and in extremely frail condition.  My stepfather is still in a nursing home, since Dec. 5 of last year and no improvement in sight.  And then there’s Mom, whose memory is decreasing daily.

While watching a special about Robin Roberts, the GMA anchor who just underwent a bone marrow transplant, I picked up on something she said.  Her mother told her to “make her mess her message.”  The mess being her second bout with cancer and the message being that her faith, family and friends brought her through it.  I guess when you get right down to it, those three things are most important in all aspects of our lives.  I have all three.  I’m blessed in that.  And I’m positive the answers will come for me and my parents … somehow, some way.  They just will.  I trust in God for that. After writing this, I am reminded of something else that is true for me.  I don’t always have to know the “how”; just have faith in a positive outcome … for the highest and best of ALL concerned.

As for the Oscars – the Academy Awards – I don’t watch them.  I just can’t give my time and energy to something so stupid.  For the cost of only a single piece of the jewelry the celebrities wear or the cost of one couture gown, many of this nation’s hungry and homeless children could be fed.  Think about it.  Namaste’

Orchids with a Soft Pencil effect

Silly Signs

I stopped watching the news two days ago.  Just can’t take it and I don’t need to say why.  You all know.  I’m sure you feel it, too.

But today my husband and I went out to breakfast.  Needed to break the routine.  We tried a restaurant we’d never been to before and the food was wonderful.

I love places that are different and it’s always a bonus if the food is good 🙂  But this place had some of the coolest signs and I hope they bring a smile for you.  Take a look.

(Only 15 days to go and the 366 Project is over).  Just sayin’  Last Monday I did a photo shoot of 17 horses and took 144 photos of them.  Horses are hard to do; they just don’t sit and stay like our canine friends but I feel I got some good shots.  I’m still editing and when the final edits are complete, then I order prints and make photo note cards.  The owner of the stables is going to give these cards to her clients as a gift.  I have a LOT of work to do.  Wish me luck.  Namaste’