October 31--Sad, But Not Spooky

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.  --Robert Fulghum

    I am mourning the passing of a dear friend. We met in Kansas City at a spiritual growth workshop and became instant friends. She moved to Florida to be closer to her offsprings' families. Both of us are writers, and we re-connected a few years ago, adding a third writer and having fairly regular Zoom meetings to share our lives and our written words. The three of us truly were "a match made in heaven." 😉 She was a mighty example of facing death head-on, even hosting workshops for folks to process their issues regarding death and dying. I know that her final days were quite uncomfortable, and that she is now in total bliss, and I am happy for her, yet still sad for me and her many other friends and loved ones who are missing her brilliant light. 

    Soul-rinsing continues,

        Leta

October 30--A Meditation of Love

This is from Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation of October 29. It is by CAC teacher, James Finley:

This is a meditation to help us experience the immediate presence and intimacy of God’s love and those who have joined God before us:

I invite you to imagine that you are sitting alone in the middle of a well-lit room. There are no windows and no furniture in the room other than the chair you are sitting in…. As you sit there alone in silence, the light in the room slowly begins to dim. As the room dims, a light on the other side of the wall you are facing slowly becomes brighter and brighter. You begin to realize that the wall you are facing is not really a solid wall, as you had imagined, but is rather a gossamer veil that is becoming increasingly translucent in the light that is shining through it, filling the darkness of your room with an unfamiliar light.

In the light shining out from the other side of the veil you see God, the angels, and the saints. They are all laughing and waving at you, letting you know how delighted they are that you can see them. You start laughing and waving back at them.

Then God, the angels, and the saints pass through the veil to join you, rendering the room radiant with communal joy and delight in which your very presence begins to glow with the presence of God. Illumined and transformed in this way, God and the angels and saints carry you with them into heaven, just on the other side of the veil, where all are dwelling who have died and crossed over into God. Then God and the angels and saints carry you with them back through the veil, back to the room, now aglow with heavenly wonder and delight. Then, once again, they transport you back into the celestial realm, and then back again into the room….

You are left once again in the familiarity of your earthly experience of yourself sitting there alone in the room, facing the wall. But while everything is the same as before, everything is, in an interior way, radically different. For you now realize that while, yes, it is true that, on one level, the wall you are facing really is a wall, … yet in the afterglow of the unitive experience that has just graced your life, you now know in the depths of your awakened heart that, ultimately speaking, the wall is no wall at all…. You have been graced with a fleeting experience of being immersed in God-immersed-in-you in a boundless communion that utterly transcends, even as it utterly permeates, the darkness and fragmentations of this world.

    AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

        Leta

October 29--Love Anyway

Sometimes people just need to be loved. Even when they have made mistakes. Even when they have been mean. Even when they get a tattoo that you don't love. Sometimes we just need to speak love.  --Mary Davis

    I might add this: "Even when they belong to a cult." My husband brought to my attention the word "cult-ure," emphasizing the cult part. Examples are the Trump cult-ure, the Catholic cult-ure (or any religion), the Republican cult-ure, and so on. Most likely these days we all know someone, or several, who are strongly attached to a cult. I should have added to my "advice" post: do not discuss religion or politics at family gatherings. Keep those events love-focused. 

    My husband succinctly pointed out that the Republican mission is to give us all PTSD. I've mentioned the mission to create a peasant class, necessary for a ruling king. So those peasants can be appropriately controlled because they are poor, terrified, sick and dumb. Poor--we are seeing the end of the middle class. Terrified--the whole Republican party is based on fear-mongering. Sick--take away their medical insurance and make needed care ever harder to get. Dumb--destroy public education, re-write history, ban books, on and on. 

    Love may be the answer, but it surely is challenging!

        Leta

Barney reminds me that love is easy.

October 28--Go, Blue Jays!

From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.  --Dr. Seuss

    I've finished with one round of the legacy questions from the Oct 21 post. I encourage you to answer those questions for yourself, whether you be a youngster or a senior citizen. 

    I am in sports heaven. Last night I had the option of watching two NBA basketball games, the Chiefs football game and the third World Series game of Blue Jays vs. Dodgers. I really want the Blue Jays, a Canadian team (Toronto) to win the World Series. Alas, I did not make it through the 18-inning walk-off loss the Blue Jays suffered--bummer. All games are recorded so I can view them at my leisure. My husband has learned not to discuss a sporting event until he finds out if I've watched it. Baseball will end soon 😞 but college basketball will take its place 😀

    Meanwhile, have I mentioned that I'm back in physical therapy? Two sessions down, 10 to go, this time to strengthen my left calf, ankle, foot and arch, lingering effects from sciatica. I'm doing such fun things as walking heel-to-toe and picking up marbles with my toes. I've added firm arch supports to a couple pairs of shoes, and those, while necessary, make walking uncomfortable. I'm so grateful for Crocs, as they seem to be the best option for my feet wherein my left foot is about 3/4" longer than my right due to the fallen arch. My strength and arch seem to be improving. I'm looking forward to the completion of all this by year-end, and I'm hoping for NO need for medical attention in 2026! 

    One day at a time,

        Leta

Thunder basketball,
reigning champs!!

October 27--Who Wants Advice?

Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that's no reason not to give it. 
--Agatha Christie

    What do you wish for your family and dearest friends? What advice would you give them? (See Oct 21 post for background.)

In no particular order:

•     Your thoughts are creative--change your thinking, change your life.
•     Be yourself.
•     Learn something new every day.
•     Do something creative every day to feed your soul.
•     Rest more.
•     Worry less.
•     Connect more with nature.
•     We are here for joy, expansion and freedom.
•     Forgive quickly.
•     Create an intimate working relationship with Something Bigger.
•     Know that you are dearly loved and nothing can lessen that love. 
•     Ignore other people's sentiments or opinions of you.
•     Remember: "This, too, shall pass."
•     Travel! Experience other cultures and marvel at our magnificent Mother Earth.
•     KEEP MOVING!

    Some of these are easier than others. Life is a practice!

        Leta

From Google Images

October 26--What Will the Memories Be?

Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others. 
--Rosa Parks

    How do you want to be remembered? (See Oct 21 post for background.)

    Yikes! This is a biggie. My first thought is that I had a great sense of humor. I would like to be remembered as creative, starting with my early days when Mom taught me to sew and crochet, all the way through life with gardening, assorted crafts, and most recently painting. I hope folks think of me as a good family member and friend. Anyone who knows me well would note that I am nuts about baseball, so much so that I completed the quest of seeing a game in all 30 MLB stadiums. There were some brave solo trips involved, and all that fed into my love of traveling. I wouldn't mind if folks noted that my favorite hobby was napping!

    I'm gonna think about this one a lot more!

        Leta

"That's Odd" by yours truly...
Geometry was my favorite subject in school!

October 25--I Would Have...

Happy or unhappy, families are all mysterious. We have only to imagine how differently we would be described - and will be, after our deaths - by each of the family members who believe they know us.  --Gloria Steinem

    What do you wish you had done differently? (See Oct 21 post for background.)

    I've said many times that I would have purchased a vacation home on a large body of water. Fortunately over the years, I have had friends who shared such properties with me. Most recently it has been the condo on the beach at Ocean City, Maryland, where my niece and I have had a lovely week's vacation the past few years. It's no problem to drive from Kansas to Maryland--I love the water and beach that much! 

    I would have asked a lot more family historical questions of the people who could answer them before it was too late. What were my mom's and dad's childhoods like? What traumas did they experience? How would they answer these legacy questions?

    One of the most powerful lessons the 12-Step program has taught me is to make amends, and to do it asap. Having learned to live this way, I don't feel like I have "loose ends" hanging out there that need attention. That's a comforting feeling.

        Leta

Something like this would be quite cool!!!