December 14--Furry Love

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.  --Roger Caras

    December 8 is the anniversary of us bringing angel dog Barney into our lives, a love affair that began in 2019, perfectly timed just before the pandemic. We adopted Barney via Beauties and Beasts, a wonderful rescue organization here in Wichita. The previous owners gave him up because he was infected with parvo-virus and they could not afford the treatment. Their loss was our huge gain.

     We needed to decide on a name for our new pup. My favorite dog name is "Zeus," but alas, we realized early on that we had more of a "Barney Fife" personality on our hands. He seemed quite wary of the stairs at first, and he didn't bark for a week. Soon the stairs were conquered in a few bounds, and he has become quite the "talker." He takes his job of herding and protecting my spouse and me quite seriously. He doesn't relax until he knows where we are. My husband has trained him to fetch me when it is mealtime, which he does with wild enthusiasm because he knows that he is about to eat, too. He entertains us after eating by romping with a yummy sock from the dirty clothes basket. Back in the spring, when the pain of sciatica reduced me to tears, Barney was at my side. Somehow they know...  I cannot imagine life without Barney and all the laughter and love he brings us. 

    Then there's the other side of dog ownership... I often say, "You can have a clean house or you can have a dog. You can't have both." If my husband and I want to travel, we have to take the dog, because no-way will my husband put his baby in boarding. Depending on the season and destination, this limits what we can do. Proper care for a pet is an expensive undertaking even if they are generally healthy. They require daily care whether one feels like it or not (walks in frigid temps, for instance). 

    Do the dog-owning positives outweigh the negatives? Absolutely! 

       Leta

How could anyone resist 
such a cutie!!?!?

December 13--Don't Waste an Opportunity

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness. 
--Lucius Annaeus Seneca

    Thursday in Wichita was a lovely day with temperatures in the 60s. I've been needing a replacement wiper blade on the rear window of the Spaceship (our hybrid Toyota RAV4), so I went to AutoZone. The folks there are generally kind and will install such things, and a nice day is better for them than a frigid winter day. When I asked the young man if he would install the wiper blade, he gave me an enthusiastic "yes, of course" nod and smile. Ten minutes later I had a clear rear view. 

    Could I have changed the wiper blade myself? Yes, but I expect it would have taken me a lot longer and there may have been some expletives involved. I appreciate the kindness at AutoZone, and my husband does, too--it's one of his favorite shopping spots. 

    Simple human kindness--pass it around!

        Leta

December 12--A Message of Hope

This is from Lee Carroll who channels the spiritual entity Kryon. Even if you don't believe in such things, please read this. I found it very encouraging in our current it-seems-to-get-worse-every-day environment:

If you've been feeling like everything around you is unraveling... you're not alone. We've been receiving messages from our community asking variations of the same question: "Why do things seem like they're all falling apart? What's going on? What can I do?" These aren't questions about past lives or the mysteries of the universe anymore. They're coming from a deeper, more urgent place, and we hear you.

Here's what Kryon wants you to know: This IS what was spoken of. The perception of chaos, the feeling that unified systems are being pulled apart, the divisions you're witnessing, this is part of the shift. And yes, it's uncomfortable. Humanity doesn't like change, especially when it disrupts systems that seemed to be working (even if imperfectly). But here's the truth that might help you breathe easier: Things aren't just falling apart. They're reorienting themselves for something better. You cannot take an old system and simply paste new solutions onto it. Real transformation, the kind that brings integrity, compassion, and love to the forefront, requires deconstruction before reconstruction. What you're witnessing isn't a political split or even a human rights issue at its core. It's an old energy versus new energy split, the way things used to work versus a higher consciousness approach that sees things completely differently.

So what can you do? First, give yourself permission to relax into this understanding. Instead of "I've never seen this before, there must be a problem," try: "I don't like what I'm seeing and it's fearful for me, but I know we're in the shift. Dear Spirit, help me not just to understand, but to get through this." Second, remember that you are a lighthouse. As a Lightworker, you have a responsibility to hold steady when others are wringing their hands in the dark. Your balance, your calm, your understanding, these are contagious. They influence others who desperately need to see that peace is possible even in turbulence.

The solutions are coming. They'll be driven largely by young people who understand what's needed: compassion in corporate leadership, integrity in education, and wisdom in governance. Change from the bottom up, not the top down. This isn't the first time your country has faced civil unrest or division. But this time, the solutions will stick. You won't have to go backward and repeat this cycle.

How long will it take? That depends on how contagious higher consciousness can be. On whether you can influence those in trouble with your joy. On whether you can be a balanced presence in times of turmoil. Humanity is in charge of the timeline; you always have been. Take a moment right now: Take a deep breath. You are in the right place at the right time, loved beyond measure. What you're seeing is the precursor to solutions. Clearer heads will prevail. You will see why this is what it is. Can you relax with what you cannot control at the moment? Can you be part of the solution rather than adding to the fear? Your light matters. Your calm matters. Your understanding matters.
With Love and Service,The Kryon Masters Team

P.S. If fear and worry are keeping you from the light you carry, it's time to feel the love of Spirit and relax into it. When you do, others will notice, and they'll ask how you can be so calm. That's when you get to explain what you know about the love that has gone into this shift for humanity.

It's challenging work--staying focused on what we want rather than what we don't want!

        Leta

December 11--"The Holidays"

One day at a time. This, too, shall pass.  --12-Step slogans

    "The Holidays" has a special and potent meaning for addicts, especially those whose substance of choice is food. In my pre-recovery days, "The Holidays" started with the purchase of Halloween candy (well in advance, of course, with multiple repeat purchases necessary), and ran through New Year's Day. It was a time of free-for-all eating because, well, everyone ODs during "The Holidays." 

    Once I started recovery, I was stunned to learn that Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day are individual days, and that all the days in between are NOT holidays. That eliminated the excuse to overeat on all those in-between days. We often remind each other in meetings that most of the days in November and December are not holidays. 

    I love how life continues to reveal to us useful insights. This morning's insight is that even though I am not enamored with Christmas much any more (no kids present to share the day), TODAY is not Christmas. Therefore, I should not dis today just because Christmas is coming, and I should be doing Christmas stuff with great Christmas cheer. 

    Just another day with free will!

        Leta

Lights! My favorite part of "The Holidays"
(Wild Lights, SG County Zoo)

December 10--An Essential-to-Life Function

I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.  --Kurt Vonnegut

If you can fart in front of somebody, you know that they love you.  --Thundercat

    OK, I can't pass up this one. I read Upworthy emails for positive news, and yesterday's posting has the news that science has shown which gender has the smellier farts, and it has an Alzheimer's connection. Here is the link to the story, should you care to go down that rabbit hole: of course you want to know the "winner!!"

    You know how there are some proclamations that our parents make that stick with us for decades? My mom told me as a teenager that "no self-respecting woman would ever burp or fart in public." Alas, I guess I'm a failure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Laugh more!

        Leta

December 9--"Fine" Art

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.  --Pablo Picasso

    I had lunch with a friend yesterday and the topic quickly became art. She did a paint-by-number painting of her dog, which is where I got the idea. I showed her the progress on my dog painting. We started exchanging phones to share photos of our artwork. It turns out she is quite awesome with watercolors. I have not risen to that challenge yet, though I did take a City Arts class on watercolor painting. 

    We talked about how so many folks say, "I can't paint," or "I'm not creative." This led to the discussion of what is art and why do we do it. A person's perception of art is as unique as each individual human, as is her/his reason for creating it. I love my creations hanging around the woman cave. I'm not Monet, nor am I trying to be. There is art that I like, and art that I don't like, but I always respect a person's willingness to create it and put it in front of others. 

    Creativity, especially painting, is a spiritual practice for me. My art is fine and so is yours!

        Leta

A painting I did for grandson Remy

December 8--On the Other Side, I Hope

The dark night is a profoundly good thing. It is an ongoing spiritual process in which we are liberated from attachments and compulsions and empowered to live and love more freely. Sometimes this letting go of old ways is painful, occasionally even devastating. But this is not why the night is called “dark.” The darkness of the night implies nothing sinister, only that the liberation takes place in hidden ways, beneath our knowledge and understanding. It happens mysteriously, in secret, and beyond our conscious control.  --Gerald May

    The whole sciatica thing I have been through this year has most assuredly been a "dark night." I'm not quite at the point of it being a "profoundly good thing." However, "in hidden ways, beneath our knowledge and understanding," certainly applies. Pain takes one to that place. 

    I've been through months of physical therapy (4 sessions to go!), and I have approached it all, until recently, as the process of fixing something, getting me back to where I was before all this landed on me. It finally dawned on me, mysteriously, that this is it. This is how my body works moving forward. I don't have the impeccable balance I once had. My left foot's fallen arch has made my left foot almost an inch longer than my right foot, which will make shoe-shopping quite the adventure. My stamina has a long way to go, especially regarding walking, but I can now walk limp-free without a cane. My body is stiff until it gets moving, but I have minimal pain, for which I am ever so thankful. Maybe it's an acceptance of "this is my aging body." Maybe I'm just weary of demanding that my body do more than it is currently capable of. In any case, there is an element of liberation and peace, and that is "a profoundly good thing." 

    Living is interesting. Keep moving.

        Leta