Grateful Goodbye to 2018

What an interesting year 2018 was, with many out-of-the-ordinary happenings for me and our family.

WORK I completed my third season doing tax preparation. I was really active with MELT Method teaching, including classes, workshops and private lessons.

HEALTH Surgery was a biggie for the year. Dennis had shoulder surgery in June, and successfully completed six months of physical therapy. After x-rays showing arthritis in my left hip, I arranged for and got myself psyched for hip replacement, but that never happened due to a rather bizarre set of happenings. I'm in wait-and-see mode for now, not ready to reschedule a hip surgery. My pre-surgery evaluation, however, was comforting, as all my numbers were in the normal/healthy ranges.

TRAVEL Our older son, Derek, and his partner, Caila, spent most of the year working and playing in Australia and New Zealand. What a challenge having them so far away, and a joy that they were able to experience that adventure. I enjoyed trips:

• Chicago and Ohio (Cubs game, friends and family visits)
• Eastern Canada, exploring Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto and Niagara
• East Coast baseball tour thru Baltimore, Philadelphia, NYC, Cooperstown, Boston
• Timber Creek Retreat
• Dallas for an Abraham-Hicks workshop
• Fort Collins, in September to visit Eliot, and December, for Christmas

DOG We kept Derek's Golden Retriever, Dusty, while he was in Australia. While I was not initially excited to have our first dog ever in our home of 33 years, we became very attached to this great critter. We got him all caught up on vet care, including neutering. I went to a six-week obedience class with him, which achieved the primary goal of him learning to walk comfortably on-leash. We returned Dusty to Derek at our Christmas visit. Coming home after Christmas to no dog at home was heart-breaking.

FAMILY We were blessed with sons' visiting Wichita when Eliot and Aliza arrived for a Memorial Day weekend (friends' wedding) and Derek and Caila passed through after returning from New Zealand. Eliot is now the proud owner of the newest car in the family, a 2016 Honda Civic, his first car purchase.

MISCELLANEOUS
I received my first Social Security payments, woohoo!
I played lots more golf than in the past few years.
We had a major tree-trimming job done around our home and attempted lawn restoration.
My birthday-gift-to-me was registering for the California Baseball Tour in August 2019.
I added five MLB stadiums to my bucket list: Baltimore, Mets, Yankees, Fenway, Toronto.
I set a new personal annual lap-swim record of 136 miles.
I had a CUBS World Series ring on my hand.

All-in-all, a very good year, despite all the unusual happenings. I feel so grateful and blessed!

     Looking forward to a great 2019!

              Leta

The Mixed Bag That Is Life

     We just completed a wonderful Christmas celebration with our sons in Colorado. We stayed in the comfy, newly-settled home of older son Derek and partner Caila. Younger son Eliot joined us, along with "third son" and family friend, Ryan. Assorted other friends of the kids joined us over the course of the day. The gift exchange was great fun. Dennis and Derek made us delicious feasts to celebrate being together. We finished off the day with loads of laughter playing the "Cards Against Humanity" game.
     For 11 months this past year, Dennis and I dog-sat our son's dog, Dusty, while he was in Australia. While I was not initially thrilled about the idea, I grew VERY attached to this wonderful doggie. We agreed to return him to Derek at our Christmas visit. The drive to Fort Collins with Dusty went very well. He had the back seat to himself and slept most of the way. He settled in nicely to his new home, and was yet another joy of our super Christmas holiday together.
     Leaving on the day after Christmas is always a bummer for me. Saying goodbye to the kids and facing the seemingly-endless nine-hour drive home is a drag. This year we had the added bummer of leaving "our" doggie there. Not having the dog in the car made for a simpler ride home, and we really are happy that Derek and his dog are reunited. The big blow came, however, when we opened the door to our house and no tail-wagging, smiling dog came racing to greet us. Tears have been flowing freely, because everywhere I look, there's some evidence of a missing pup. I texted Derek, saying "I'm considering dognapping."
     The past few days have been quite the emotional roller-coaster ride. I will get over my grief regarding Dusty, I know. I keep reminding myself that even though it feels like we lost a pet, he didn't die, we will see him again, and he is with his rightful owner who is ecstatic to have him back. So I will cry as much as I feel like, and eventually I will get motivated to clean the house of the "dog hair everywhere."
     While the lows of life are not as much fun as the highs, I am grateful that I can fully feel both and the contrast between them.
     Life is good!
           Leta

Little Things That Make Me Smile

     This fine work of snowman art was painted by yours truly, and now hangs by our fireplace. It's not destined for an art museum, but I like it. I put it as the background photo on my Chromebook, and each time I open the laptop, the snowman makes me smile. 

     This led me to thinking about other little things that make me smile. Here's a partial list:

• 75-pound Dusty dog lying asleep in my lap 
• Lilies
• Snow on evergreens
• Just the thought of Opening Day of baseball season
• A completed sewing or crocheting project
• The "me-ness" of my woman cave
• Catching a palindrome of numbers on my car's odometer
• Christmas lights
• The morning cup of coffee
• Folded and put-away laundry
• Hand-written, snail-mailed cards and letters

     That's good for starters. What items are on your list? Let's spread our smiles around!
              Leta

The Surgery That Didn't Happen

     The best-laid plans...
     I did not have hip replacement surgery. I asked one-too-many questions via email, the offender question being one inquiring if there was any alternative to a (now I know "required") post-surgery drug. Eight days before the scheduled surgery, a woman from the doctor's staff (not the doctor himself, mind you) called to tell me that the doctor cancelled the surgery because "he is afraid you won't follow his orders." And no, I could not speak to the doctor. To tell you how much they wanted rid of me, I had my refund check from the practice two days later in the mail.
     I was stunned and upset, as I had been looking forward to the end of a nearly constant ache. Then I realized that it would not be in my best interests to go into surgery with any sort of contentious relationship with the surgeon. So I spent the day in a combination of tears and anger. On the bright side, the angry energy enabled me to get a lot of house cleaning done. I was also blessed with an understanding MELT/yoga class that encouraged me to practice along with them (rather than just demonstrate), and the practices calmed me down and restored much peace to my spirit.
     The next day, I decided upon waking that I was not going to let this sudden change of plans ruin another day. Peace reigns in my soul relative to all this. Some follow-up thoughts and actions include:

• I bless the doctor to do his very best for those he does operate on.
• It's comical that he found me such a risk, as I may have been one of the healthiest people for whom he ever did hip replacement.
• I feel compassion for the poor woman who had to call me on the doctor's behalf. What a crap job!
• I've made an appointment with another surgeon.
• For the most part, my hip has been feeling better since the cancellation. 
• I know there's a bigger picture here, everything happens for a reason, and I'm excited to see how all this unfolds. 

     Curiously enjoying the adventure of life,
           Leta

Our Reasons for Being Here

     I had an extraordinarily pleasant and profound learning experience this past Saturday in a four-hour workshop in Dallas presented by Esther Hicks channeling Abraham. (If unfamiliar with this, google "Abraham-Hicks.") Any experience listening to or reading Abraham materials leaves me feeling so loved and appreciative of my life and circumstances. Actually being in Esther's presence as she is channeling, however, is love on super-steroids.
     There were many wonderful insights that I carried away with me, but my favorite was Abraham's description of our reasons for being here. Yes, we chose to come into physical form for a triangle of reasons. The three sides of the triangle are EXPANSION, FREEDOM and JOY.
     Expansion is inevitable. It is happening all over the Universe. It is an eternal force that cannot be stopped. We earthlings are on the leading edge of creation, responsible (whether we like it or not) for the lives we create for ourselves. Everyone is creative, and our creation tool is our thoughts.
     Freedom is the foundation of life on Planet Earth. Everyone has free will, the ability to choose. There is always a choice, whether we like it or not, whether we can discern it or not. Like expansion, freedom is a given relative to Earth life, not something we have to make happen.
     So lastly, our big choice is whether or not to live a life of JOY. Abraham encourages us to take the path of least resistance, to do what makes us feel good, as evidenced by our emotions, which are our guidance system. Abraham's biggest challenge seems to be to convince us humans that we are supposed to feel good. When we feel good, our vibration is high, which attracts high-vibration good to us. So-called "negative" emotions are really only indicators that we are lowering our vibration and being resistant to the good that is always coming our way.
      One of my favorite Abraham quotes is "Our prayer for you is that you love yourself more today than yesterday, and more tomorrow than today." What a fine goal, to choose joy in this way. This is not selfish or conceited. Just think, if everyone on the planet loves themselves and feels good, would we have violence, discord, hatred, revenge, blame, etc, etc, etc? No. So let's do our part to uplift the world!
      Choosing JOY,
          Leta

Why Do I Write? My Ongoing Debate...

     I have published two books. While many folks say they have a book in them, that's mostly where it stays. I have actually gone through the "whole nine yards" of bringing two books into form. I should feel proud of these efforts and creations, and I do. I'm good with the idea of expressing my own unique voice--that I'm not saying anything new, but saying it in a way that only I can.
     I believe that what I write is a download from Spirit. Writing is a powerful spiritual practice for me. The first book I wrote was a surprise. I just decided to start writing on a nearly daily basis, and it developed into a book. The second book was intended to be a book from the very start, with very explicit directions from Spirit relative to the format, title and contents. I was even inspired to include my own artwork in it, which was completely "outside the box" for me.
     I am once again being nudged to write another book. This has been going on for some time, and I have a good idea for the theme, and even a start of an outline. Unlike the two previous books, this one would require LOTS of time and research, potentially even a "coffee table" book with color photos, an extremely expensive proposition.
     I self-published the two previous works, the first with PublishAmerica (now America Star) and the second with Amazon's CreateSpace. The world of publishing is beyond my comprehension. I have no interest in the effort and rejection inevitability of having a "publisher." Possibly that's my personal author defeat right there. 
     I lost money on the first book, and I would not recommend America Star to anyone. I've broken even on the second book, and I loved the CreateSpace process. These money statements do not count my writing time--only a NY Times bestseller could compensate me reasonably for that. However, as I said, I enjoyed the actual writing tremendously as a wide-open powerful connection with Spirit.
     In neither case did I write the book for money. I was spiritually motivated. However, it is so discouraging, ultimately, to put in so much effort and get so little return. Do I want to invest way more time into a way more pricey effort?
     I don't know if I can stand the disappointment of another mediocre showing. I'm not good or much interested in energetic promotion. Given past history, I don't know if I'm mentally strong enough to make a third book financially successful. I would also suggest that there's probably some limit to how many books a friend or relative will buy, just because they know the author.
     I don't write this blog for the money. It's just plain fun, and it doesn't take up a lot of time.
     To be clear, I am not afraid of putting myself "out there." I guess I don't get noticed enough to be criticized!
     I know I can create the time to write another book, should I decide I want to do it. I wrote most of the second book while immersed in a more than full-time job during tax season. It's also useful to remember that I could simply start with some "baby steps" and see where it goes.
     I suspect this debate is simply part of the process of testing my commitment and guiding me to ever greater good in my future. I do have faith in that. I also know that ultimately it does not matter one way or another whether I write a third book.
     So for now, the debate continues.
        Leta

The Blessing of Time Away

     This past weekend was the annual retreat I lead at Timber Creek Retreat House in Drexel, Missouri. The House is a magnificent place in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by woods and hiking trails, offering sightings of deer and turkeys and the many other blessings of nature. We did yoga and MELT treatments, enjoyed meditation before each delicious meal, and still had lots of free time for massage or whatever our hearts desired. We also had a release session where folks could leave mental, emotional or spiritual baggage behind. It's a time where you and you alone get to make the choice of how to spend your time. Everything is optional, though no one ever missed a meal!
     It is a time to fully realize and absorb the knowing that love really is all that matters, and love is the driving force of all creation. It is a time to absorb that we are never alone, and we are, every single one of us, dearly loved beyond our human understanding. It is a time to find inspiration for what's next in your life, or to simply gain a renewed perspective relative to your life as it is.
     I've led at least five of these annual retreats. I always come away with a heart overflowing with love, truly a visceral feeling in my chest. Prior to this year, I've simply seen myself as the organizer, doing what I do best, organize. But this year, I got it---that this is truly a powerful spiritual experience for those attending, that the group does not come together as a coincidence, and that I am the (willing) tool of Spirit to create this awesome, loving, life-changing event. I am so grateful to be used in such a way!
     Check out the tab above for information on next year's retreat. This year's group "demanded" an extra night, up from two to three, which I expect will at least double the peace, joy and love.
     Basking in the love,
            Leta