Terror, excitement, and peace

Ever have all those feelings at once?
I made the leap today to sign up for a 6-month "do something powerful with my life" program. I am at peace with my decision, and I'm excited about it. Those two emotions account for about half of what I'm feeling.
Then there's the other half. Stark terror. What have I gotten myself into??!?! (Fortunately, in past times when I've asked that question, results have been outstanding--I'm very grateful for that precedent!) How will I pay for this?!?!? (The money always shows up, I don't know how, but I know it's miraculous.) The leader said, "There will be change in you." Dirty word, sometimes, "change" is. But I'm becoming ever more comfy in my own skin, so I expect that trend to continue.
The program kicks off in an intensive weekend in mid-July. It's a small group of 15, which is my favorite "arena" to play in. New friendships, new insights, new possibilities, guaranteed. What's not to be excited about?!?!
This program will make for some interesting blog entries, no doubt. To be continued...
Fun!
Leta

A "Thought" on Beauty and Appreciation from Rev. Suellen Miller

Several times a month, Rev. Suellen Miller of Oklahoma City sends out a "Thought" to her "Fellow Travelers on the Spiritual Path." I especially like this one, and offer it to you for consideration:

I am looking at the (mother-in-law's tongue) plant on my desk. It has long green leaves edged in yellow. It is quite beautiful, and I am admiring its beauty.  I can see streaks of yellow not on the edges, and not-quite-uniform leaves. If it were a person, it might think of itself as flawed.

What if we looked into the mirror with the same eyes of appreciation that I'm currently using for this perfect plant? What if we recognized that those flaws that we usually see are really just differences? Instead of comparing ourselves to someone else's standards of beauty, why not compare ourselves to this plant's standard (or God's)? The plant doesn't care what we look like. It radiates back to us exactly the love we give it.
What if we take this one step farther? There are no flaws anywhere, just differences. I am blessing the differences between us. If we were all alike, would life need to exist?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks, Rev. Suellen!

Love to all,

Leta

Tribute to a great man

Walt Lohrentz, a gentle man, a gentleman, a scholar and sweetheart. He passed away June 5th, having blessed planet Earth with his presence and powerful faith for 90 years. It was an honor and a joy to attend his funeral service.
One of his favorite Bible passages was Philippians 4:4-9. This is it:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

I'm not a Bible reader, but there are a few spots I dearly love. I can see why Walt loved this so much. What a great amount of wisdom is here:

Rejoice! Enjoy life.

Be kind and gentle, an example of the Lord's love.

Don't worry--ask God for what you need and your needs shall be met.

Focus on the good things.

Practice all this, don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk.

And so it is!

Leta

Il Dolce Far Niente

The title is Italian for "the sweetness of doing nothing," a phrase from the movie Eat, Pray, Love.
Doing nothing? Really?!?!? For so many of us, that's not even near our radar screen.
I have a voice in my head that incessantly says, "You should do more." My expanding self-awareness has led me to realize that I define the value of my being by how much I do and how successfully I do it (alas, as measured by money).
So I contemplate doing nothing. It's a challenge. I get to practice stopping that "You should do more" voice. I realize that there's always stuff to do, and there always will be, as long as I'm on the planet. So it's not like I'll get it all done, and then I can do nothing. I get to make the choice to just do nothing now. I smile realizing that the model I was raised with was, "Get the work done, then you can do fun stuff." Does that sound familiar?
Recently my husband and I have reinstated the practice of sitting in our beautiful backyard after he gets home from work, having a drink and talking, before we have dinner and head off into other things. This is a very sweet time, and to me there's nothing more important than "doing nothing" with the person I love most.
Is there some way to work just a bit of il dolce far niente into your daily routine? I expect your soul will sing with joy!
Leta

Voices

This quote is from author Kathy Juline: "No one exactly like you has ever, or will ever, be born. You are the only expression of Life that has your precise combination of traits, abilities, and gifts. Because you are unique, you are the sole person who knows how you are to live. No one else can know for you."
We experience in life an onslaught of voices. There's the set of voices from the outer that would tell us what we should or shouldn't do with our lives. Note above: No one else can know for you. "No one else" includes parents, children, friends, spouse, siblings, religious leaders, politicians, etc., "NO ONE."
Then there's the voice within, that inner wisdom that truly does know how best for us to live a life of joy. It takes practice to pay attention, hear, and trust this inner wisdom. It also takes courage to listen to and follow this often still small voice, rather than the loud clamor of outer opinions and advice.
Who's steering the ship of your life?
Blessings!
Leta

"Oooooo, I like that."

A friend recently had the joy of seeing the Dalai Lama in person in Louisville. In describing His Holiness, she said he laughs a LOT, and often says, "Oooooo, I like that." I expect that this little tidbit of approach to life could be a powerful life-changer for the better, if we could simply laugh at most things (especially ourselves) and say, "Oooooo, I like that."
I guarantee that there are instances in my day wherein I'd be challenged to say, "Oooooo, I like that." But I also know that there are blessings in every moment, even if I don't recognize them IN the moment.
I'm figuring that if the Dalai Lama can be so joyful, given the horrors he's seen and experienced, why can't I? My life is a piece of cake, really. "Oooooo, I like that."
Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all!
Many thanks to those soldiers and loved ones who have gone the extra mile to make our lives so good!
Leta

Boredom or Dynamic Peace?

I had a wonderful week-long visit with my two sons in Fort Collins, Colorado. Then I came home, back to my "regular" life, which I truly love. Whether it's my "work" life, or being a domestic goddess, I am generally quite happy.
Alas, I'm bored. Same old, same old. Little seems to be changing, and results in some instances continue to disappoint me.
But wait. My wise practitioner refers to this state as "dynamic peace." Life is flowing smoothly and nothing is happening to disturb my inner peace. That feels way better than "I'm bored."
I also have a sense that things are developing, and I'm simply in the waiting or incubation stage, and I'll admit, waiting is not my strong suit.
We shall see what develops, and in the meantime, be at peace.
All is well.
Leta