KEEP YOUR HEART OPEN

Funk's Grove-Chapel of the trees

 I continue to learn to keep my heart open to allow love and blessings to enter my heart and soul.  I strive to see the beauty and Divine in all people, nature and God's creatures.  As I looked up at the beautiful tall trees in the quiet wooded chapel, I saw an open heart in the way the branches had grown over the many

decades.  The trees were standing tall and straight as if reaching for the heavens, bare of all foliage, thus allowing  me an opportunity to see the way the branches reach out.

 I hope this image will continue to remind me to keep an open heart in the coming New Year.  I look forward to each new day to see what the Universe will unfold.

Quotes for the New year

 I was looking through my collection of quotes that I have accumulated over the past three years, so many of them have a special meaning for me.  Some helped me stay balanced and centered,  quieting my inner critic. Many of them are from daily e-mails I subscribe to, and a couple are from sermons that spoke to my heart.  I chose only twelve, one for each month for the New Year 2012. 

1. Forgiveness-is not wanting anything in your past to be any different that it was..therefore accepting it and letting it go.

2. I am willing to let go of past hurts so I can evolve as a human being.

3. My daily intention is.....find what makes me happy and focus on that..do not dwell on others negativity.

4. I free myself from dragging my past into my future.

5. I will surround myself with positive light to stay balanced.

6.  I choose to see beauty and good wherever I go...'thinking makes it so.'

7.  I am responsible for my happiness and meeting my needs to stay in balance.

8.  Whatever your worries are...let it rest...let it rest in God's hands.

9.  I let go of the need to be right and choose peace instead.

10. It doesn't mean anything-it's nothing personal.

11.  I seek the gift of wisdom within each 'negative' experience.

12.  The approval I seek must come from me.


Blessings to all my dear friends in 2012..

ANGELS ARE EVERYWHERE

The wings of angels are often found on the backs of the least likely people.

by Eric Honeycut

One September evening about twenty years ago while driving to my home, I came upon a mysterious sight.  It was a man in a white t-shirt on a bicycle, which was he was riding in circles in my lane which was maybe thirty yards from the intersection. The light was green and I could have made it through the intersection, or so I thought..  I stopped but wasn't frightened even though at that moment there were no other cars near me.  I just stared at him, wondering why he was doing that in my lane.

As I sat in my car, still unafraid, a car came through the intersection crashing into the stoplight.  It then started going slowly in circles and I wondered what had happened to the driver.  By now other cars were in the lanes near me as we waited in disbelief.  The police arrived and managed to grab the car door as it continued in circles and brought it to a stop.  The police then directed us to make a right turn on a one way street that was going left and told us to go around the block. 

I was somewhat frightened by this as I was unfamiliar with this less than safe looking neighborhood.

I followed the other cars and came upon a street I knew would take me back to the main road and onto the interstate.  I knew then that was my guardian angel keeping me out of harms way that evening.

Other angels sent to me was baby Uriah, whose name in Hebrew means 'God is Light'.  I met him and his young Mother in a beautiful park,  as he got near me he reached up his precious baby arms for me to pick him up.  I still remember the feel of him in my arms that day and felt it was a hug from God.

The middle aged man in the brown coveralls with the beautiful light blue eyes had a certain light about him.  Was he an angel?  I believe that he was, I felt such a blessing from him that cold day on a busy street corner.

I know my angels have protected my many times through out the years,.  There have been occasions that I narrowly missed being in serious car accident and felt immediately the angels protected me.  One occasion was witnessed by a co-worker in the car behind me on the way to a Christmas party.  How I managed to cut across two lanes of traffic to avoid a crash amazed him.  When we arrived in the parking lot he got out of the car holding up an Angel Beanie Baby and said my angel got me through that busy intersection.

I also have many earth angels who mentor me with kind words and healing touch, one of whom will probably read this and know she is my earth angel.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to all.

LIFE'S LESSONS

tasting the stars

"is there a salve for the wounds of shame?' she asked.

a gentle smile spread across the old woman's face.

leaning closer, she whispered,

'ah yes, but it's more than than.

much more.

use it abundantly with kindness and sincerity

and it becomes fire for the soul.

it lights the very stars in side of you back to life.

it is compassion.

have compassion for yourself and others -

deep compassion, freely given,

and you will do more than heal those wounds,

you will truly life for the first time,

and you will taste the stars.'"

terri st. cloud



When I dared to ask an individual in my class if she possibly knew the homeless man, whom I had given  food and gloves, she was abrupt, telling me he probably wasn't homeless.  I had some warm neck scarves I wanted to donate to the overflow shelter and  was  informed that wasn't the place to take them.  I was beginning to feel stupid and felt myself growing smaller and smaller as this was all said in front of seven other class members.

During this brief conversation she told me they (the homeless) knew where to get free clothing. 

I could feel some of the others eyes on me , wishing they were having their own conversations.  Our break was almost over to I excused myself and went to the bathroom, taking a few deep breaths, praying to get through the next hour of class.

Yesterday as I was still feeling the pain of this event I took the scarves and some coffee and sugar to the Mission, they gave me a tour of their facility.  The lady explained they have been offering coffee, donuts and free clothing for over a hundred years.  There is even a chapel on one side, a nice kitchen  where they prepare the coffee, complete with dishwasher to wash all the cups.  They had served about 130 that morning.  In addition to this gathering place for the poor they have showers and a laundry area they can use once a week.

I was touched by the man, homeless or not as I looked in his eyes.  He represented every human soul who has had many struggles in life, whether it be lack of money, alcohol or drug abuse, mental illness, and the list goes on and on.  I am thankful for the blessing I received as I shook his hand and looked into his eyes.

 I prayed that evening in class to have compassion for the lady who hurt my heart, I feel compassion for her now as we all have a dark side as well as a light side.  I wonder how many individuals I have offended or hurt by words or actions that were not intended to hurt, but were perceived as such.

THE BIRTH OF THE CHRIST CHILD

Sharon's Christmas Prayer

by John Shea



She was five,

sure of the facts,

and recited them

with slow solemnity

convinced every word

was revelation.

She said

they were so poor

they had only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

to eat

and they went a long way from home

without getting lost.  The lady rode

a donkey, the man walked, and the baby

was inside the lady.

They had to stay in a stable

with an ox and an ass (hee-hee)

but the Three Rich Men found them

because a star lited the roof

Shepherds came and you could

pet the sheep but not feed them.

Then the baby was borned.

And do you know who he was?

Her quarter eyes inflated

to silver dollars.

The baby was God.

And she jumped in the air

whirled round, dove into the sofa

and buried her head under the cushion

which is the only proper response

to the Good News of the Incarnation.

I found this verse in one of my class books and enjoyed the simplicity of the story.

TEARS TURNED INTO SMILES

Earlier this week I was having coffee at Edgar's, a little place I have been going to for muffins I don't need.  They have the most delicious home baked muffins, sandwiches and coffee.  Of course I prefer the pumpkin or their new raspberry/white chocolate muffin with their light roast coffee.  While I was waiting for my order, a little girl about four years old came up the counter and tried to ask the clerk for something.  He didn't understand her and neither did I.  I thought she wanted a napkin or a stir stick.  She ran crying back to the table she shared with her Grandparent's.  They were at a loss as to what she wanted other than she was embarrassed because she wasn't understood.  I told them to tell her I didn't hear very well so she wouldn't be so upset and would come out from under the table and stop crying.  They finally figured out it was  hand sanitizer that she wanted to use before eating.  I had some wet one's I gave the Grandfather for her to use.

  She finally settled down and eventually came to my table to return them and tell me thank you.  I had found the new bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse and gave it to her telling her it was her own personal small bottle of hand sanitizer for  Grandma to carry for her.  She ran back to her table so excited that she had her own sanitizer.  She and Grandma came back to me and said I had made her day.  With her bright red hair and little lavender velour outfit she was excitedly telling me all the pockets she could carry her personal bottle of sanitizer in and could carry it in her backpack to pre-school.

A little $1.00 item meant so much to her and I was delighted to share with her.

Another Christmas Blessing for me.

HIS SOUL TOUCHED MINE

Yesterday my heart was touched as I looked into the most beautiful light blue eyes of the homeless man as I handed him the other half of my still hot personal pan pizza.  He was standing on a very busy corner not far from my home.  His face and eyes haunted me all afternoon.  Today I went shopping in the same area and he was once again on the same corner, after shopping I stopped at McDonald's and purchased him a meal and coffee.  Pulling into the nearby parking lot I took my bag of food and walked to the corner to meet him.  I told him I had shared my pizza with him and he remembered.  He only had on one glove, I asked him about the missing glove and it was the only one he had.  I told him I was going in the drug store to buy him some gloves.  One of the clerks gave me some change to put on the purchase and suggested a thin pair to be used inside the leather gloved I picked out.  On the way out I decided to buy him two Reese's peanut butter bars and a Twix bar.  I once again walked to the corner with my little bag of  purchases and he was so grateful for the gloves.  Showing me that he had eaten half of the large hamburger he said he was going to share one of his coffee's with another homeless that was down a little further.  I wished him a Merry Christmas and we said God Bless you as I walked back to my car.

I told him he had the most beautiful blue eyes, he shared that he had inherited then from his father who had passed on.  I asked him his first name and he said it was Don.  My first thought was that was my ex-husband's name (now deceased) and thought he even resembled him except for the eyes.

As I drove out of the parking lot he was vigorously waving to me.

They may be homeless but they are not nameless, they have a heart and soul.  I don't know what caused him to be homeless, his story is probably similar to many others.  I will remember him this Christmas season and for the blessing I received when I touched his gloveless and cold hand . As I left he extended his gloved hand and I shook his hand and looked him in the eyes.   There we were two strangers on a very busy street corner saying goodby to one another.