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Living Life (without Twitter or Facebook)

To me, the twitterverse is like a river of human awareness, composed of billions of tiny 140 character molecules - each a snapshot of life or a thought or a reflection. A river of pure information that equals energy, according to the laws of quantum thermodynamics and stochastic processes. A river of life flowing by us as we meditate at its bank like some Siddhartha wannabe, in tattered jeans and Oakley sunglasses instead of orchid robes and begging bowl. And now, after long last, we see.

We see the beauty of the river, that some now call ambient awareness.

We reach in and touch the water of human consciousness.

Little eddies form - those are called tweetclouds.

We can be one with the river.

Or not.

It's all good.

Psychology Today runs a wonderful series of articles about the phenomenon of social networking and the psychology and neuroscience behind it. Quote attributed to a savvy writer named Moses Ma (see more of his work by clicking the headline).

time and change

Most students entering college for the first time this fall were born in 1991.

1. For these students, Martha Graham, Pan American Airways, Michael Landon, Dr. Seuss, Miles Davis, The Dallas Times Herald, Gene Roddenberry, and Freddie Mercury have always been dead.
2. Dan Rostenkowski, Jack Kevorkian, and Mike Tyson have always been felons.
3. The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
4. They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
5. Margaret Thatcher has always been a former prime minister.
6. Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
7. Earvin "Magic" Johnson has always been HIV-positive.
8. Tattoos have always been very chic and highly visible.
9. They have been preparing for the arrival of HDTV all their lives.
10. Rap music has always been main stream.
11. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream has always been a flavor choice.
12. Someone has always been building something taller than the Willis (née Sears) Tower in Chicago.
13. The KGB has never officially existed.
14. Text has always been hyper.
15. They never saw the “Scud Stud” (but there have always been electromagnetic stud finders.)
16. Babies have always had a Social Security Number.
17. They have never had to “shake down” an oral thermometer.
18. Bungee jumping has always been socially acceptable.
19. They have never understood the meaning of R.S.V.P.
20. American students have always lived anxiously with high-stakes educational testing.
21. Except for the present incumbent, the President has never inhaled.
22. State abbreviations in addresses have never had periods.
23. The European Union has always existed.
24. McDonald's has always been serving Happy Meals in China.
25. Condoms have always been advertised on television.
26. Cable television systems have always offered telephone service and vice versa.
27. Christopher Columbus has always been getting a bad rap.
28. The American health care system has always been in critical condition.
29. Bobby Cox has always managed the Atlanta Braves.
30. Desperate smokers have always been able to turn to Nicoderm skin patches.
31. There has always been a Cartoon Network.
32. The nation’s key economic indicator has always been the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
33. Their folks could always reach for a Zoloft.
34. They have always been able to read books on an electronic screen.
35. Women have always outnumbered men in college.
36. We have always watched wars, coups, and police arrests unfold on television in real time.
37. Amateur radio operators have never needed to know Morse code.
38. Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Latvia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Estonia have always been independent nations.
39. It's always been official: President Zachary Taylor did not die of arsenic poisoning.
40. Madonna’s perspective on Sex has always been well documented.
41. Phil Jackson has always been coaching championship basketball.
42. Ozzy Osbourne has always been coming back.
43. Kevin Costner has always been Dancing with Wolves, especially on cable.
44. There have always been flat screen televisions.
45. They have always eaten Berry Berry Kix.
46. Disney’s Fantasia has always been available on video, and It’s a Wonderful Life has always been on Moscow television.
47. Smokers have never been promoted as an economic force that deserves respect.
48. Elite American colleges have never been able to fix the price of tuition.
49. Nobody has been able to make a deposit in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI).
50. Everyone has always known what the evening news was before the Evening News came on.
51. Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations.
52. They have never been Saved by the Bell
53. Someone has always been asking: “Was Iraq worth a war?”
54. Most communities have always had a mega-church.
55. Natalie Cole has always been singing with her father.
56. The status of gays in the military has always been a topic of political debate.
57. Elizabeth Taylor has always reeked of White Diamonds.
58. There has always been a Planet Hollywood.
59. For one reason or another, California’s future has always been in doubt.
60. Agent Starling has always feared the Silence of the Lambs.
61. “Womyn” and “waitperson” have always been in the dictionary.
62. Members of Congress have always had to keep their checkbooks balanced since the closing of the House Bank.
63. There has always been a computer in the Oval Office.
64. CDs have never been sold in cardboard packaging.
65. Avon has always been “calling” in a catalog.
66. NATO has always been looking for a role.
67. Two Koreas have always been members of the UN.
68. Official racial classifications in South Africa have always been outlawed.
69. The NBC Today Show has always been seen on weekends.
70. Vice presidents of the United States have always had real power.
71. Conflict in Northern Ireland has always been slowly winding down.
72. Migration of once independent media like radio, TV, videos and compact discs to the computer has never amazed them.
73. Nobody has ever responded to “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
74. Congress could never give itself a mid-term raise.
75. There has always been blue Jell-O.

To see the source please visit: www.beloit.edu/mindset

Simple

sim⋅ple

  /ˈsɪmpəl/ Show Spelled [sim-puhl] Show IPA adjective, -pler, -plest, noun

–adjective
1.easy to understand, deal with, use, etc.: a simple matter; simple tools.
2.not elaborate or artificial; plain: a simple style.
3.not ornate or luxurious; unadorned: a simple gown.
4.unaffected; unassuming; modest: a simple manner.
5.not complicated: a simple design.
6.not complex or compound; single.
7.occurring or considered alone; mere; bare: the simple truth; a simple fact.
8.free of deceit or guile; sincere; unconditional: a frank, simple answer.
9.common or ordinary: a simple soldier.
10.not grand or sophisticated; unpretentious: a simple way of life.
11.humble or lowly: simple folk.
12.inconsequential or rudimentary.
13.unlearned; ignorant.
14.lacking mental acuteness or sense: a simple way of thinking.
15.unsophisticated; naive; credulous.
16. simpleminded.
17.Chemistry.
a.composed of only one substance or element: a simple substance.
b.not mixed.
18.Botany. not divided into parts: a simple leaf; a simple stem.
19.Zoology. not compound: a simple ascidian.
20.Music. uncompounded or without overtones; single: simple tone.
21.Grammar. having only the head without modifying elements included: The simple subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “pony.” Compare complete (def. 5).
22.(of a verb tense) consisting of a main verb with no auxiliaries, as takes (simple present) or stood (simple past) (opposed to compound ).
23.Mathematics. linear (def. 7).
24.Optics. (of a lens) having two optical surfaces only.
–noun
25.an ignorant, foolish, or gullible person.
26.something simple, unmixed, or uncompounded.
27.simples, Textiles. cords for controlling the warp threads in forming the shed on draw-looms.
28.a person of humble origins; commoner.
29.an herb or other plant used for medicinal purposes: country simples.
Origin:
1175–1225; (adj.) ME < OF < LL simplus simple, L (in simpla pecunia simple fee or sum), equiv. to sim- one (see simplex ) + -plus, as in duplus duple, double (see -fold ); c. Gk háplos (see haplo- ); (n.) ME: commoner, deriv. of the adj.

—Related forms
sim⋅ple⋅ness, noun

—Synonyms
1. clear, intelligible, understandable, unmistakable, lucid. 2. natural, unembellished, neat. 8. artless, guileless, ingenuous. 10. See homely. 12. trifling, trivial, nonessential, unnecessary. 13. untutored, stupid.

daily bread = love

"There is more hunger for love and
appreciation in this world than for bread."
- Mother Teresa

what can you do with what you already have?

People are always wanting more out of life. They want to be more, do more, more, more more.... What if what you are doing right now was enough? What if the person you are today is enough?

"Do what you can, with what you have,
where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt

nirvana

yes, there is a nirvana & it is leading your sheep to a green pasture. and in putting your child to sleep. and in writing the last line of your poem. - kahil gibran

chakra this, chakra that

Life seems to be going a little chakra crazy. Lots interesting & stimulating conversations and questions in my life lately about chakras, colors and energy - chi - work. Here is a beginners guide for those who want to discover their inner chakra :) Chakra 101 - a little of this, a little of that. Don't you just LOVE learning something new!

There are seven major Chakra centers of the physical body, where vital energy flows and intersects. Through our Chakras, we transmit and receive physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. The chakras are manifested in one's physical state. The ideal is to have all chakra centers clear, balanced, and vitalized for optimal well-being. The chakra system goes back to ancient eastern masters. Each chakra is associated with a particular area of the body and a color of the spectrum. Stones are used at chakra centers for clearing, revitalizing, and healing.

The seven major chakras are:

Root Chakra The First Chakra is the Base or Root Chakra. Located between the Sphincter muscle and the Scrotum (for men). And (for women) it is located between the Sphincter muscle and the vaginal cavity. It's our grounding energy centre, keeping our feet firmly on the ground and our mind focused on physical and creative matters. It also governs our reproductive organs and our sexual vitality. The first chakra provides stability, grounding, physical energy, will, and security.
ASSOCIATED COLOR: Red. In all cultures, red is the color of life, warmth, and vitality. It stimulates the life force.

Sacral Chakra The Second Chakra is the Sacral or Spleen Chakra. Its location is about one inch below the navel and about one inch inward towards the diaphragm. Its basis is in emotions, sexuality and desires. It controls our relationships and social interactions with others. Physically this Chakra works on our lower intestines and digestive system. The second chakra governs creativity, healing, sexuality and reproduction, desire, emotion, intuition. ASSOCIATED COLOR: Orange; a warm and positive color, it is the color of nourishment and circulation.

Solar Plexus Chakra The Third Chakra is the Solar Plexus Chakra. Its location is the central cavity of the lungs, just below the breastbone. It is the root of our emotional balance, personal power and metabolic energy. When we feel upset, angry or hurt we often feel this Chakra. Its primal essence is that of the Will. Physically this Chakra works on the stomach and liver area. The third chakra governs intellect, ambition, personal power, and protection.
ASSOCIATED COLOR: Yellow , which stands for intelligence.

Heart Chakra The Fourth Chakra is the Heart Chakra. Its location is about 2-3 inches above the solar plexus in the centre of the chest. It roots out to the heart as well and its area is the general area between the upper lung cavity to the heart cavity. This Chakra is our love centre it controls our unconditional feelings and thoughts, associations, relations and compassion. It is responsible for the Heart, Circulatory and Respiratory systems.The fourth chakra facilitates love, compassion, universal consciousness, and emotional balance. ASSOCIATED COLOR: Green; a calming color.


Throat Chakra The Fifth Chakra is the Throat Chakra. Its location is about the midway point between the skull and the lower neck cavity. It is about one inch inward from the throat. As the name suggests this Chakra works on our throat encouraging communication and creativity. Physically this Chakra works on our thymus and thyroid glands. The fifth chakra governs communications and expression. ASSOCIATED COLOR: Blue; the color of innocence, blue is cooling, calming, and healing.


Third Eye Chakra The Sixth Chakra is the Third Eye Chakra. Its location is the central cavity of the brain, centered above the eyebrows. Known as the psychic energy center, this Chakra is highly active in mediums. Its basis is the intuition faculty and governs our senses. It is the link from which we perceive the higher zones and higher planes. Its essence is within the astral and dreaming worlds. The sixth chakra facilitates spiritual awareness, psychic power, intuition, and light.
ASSOCIATED COLOR: Indigo; the color of mystery and mysticism, it allows space for mental freedom.

Crown Chakra The Seventh Chakra is the Crown Chakra. Its location is at the pivotal axis point of the skull at the very top of the head. It is where the three platings of the skull intersect, frontal lobe, the left and right hemispheres. Its basis is that of knowledge, information, understanding. This Chakra is our spiritual gateway and higher self. Its essence is that of blissfulness. On a physical level this chakra is responsible for our head and nervous system. The seventh chakra is used for enlightenment, cosmic consciousness, energy, and perfection.

Summer Porches

NOTHING BETTER THAN SUMMER ON A FRONT PORCH...

I question not if thrushes sing,
If roses load the air;
Beyond my heart I need not reach
When all is summer there.
~John Vance Cheney

Oh, the summer night
Has a smile of light
And she sits on a sapphire throne.
~Barry Cornwall

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. ~Albert Camus

There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. ~Celia Thaxter

The summer night is like a perfection of thought. ~Wallace Stevens

In summer, the song sings itself. ~William Carlos Williams

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. ~Sam Keen

the faults of others

Pay no attention to the faults of others, things done or left undone by others. Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone. -Buddhist Quote

Today, allow "calm" to be present within. Observe your role in any situation, past or present, acknowledge it and find the grace to accept and move on. It does not matter what he or she did - it only matters what role you played. Breathe it in. Look at it. Let it go.

Simplicity & Spirituality

What comes first - simplicity or spirituality? One does not usually happen without the other. It is a chicken and egg scenario - I believe simplicity reinforces a sense of spirituality and spiritual beliefs give way to values of simple living.

Please notice - this photograph of inspiring landscape, found on flickr, costs nothing. I have changed consciously since I moved to Northern Virginia from 5 acres and 5,000 feet to two bedrooms and a small porch.

In the past I lived for my Connecticut colonial home - constantly in motion maintaining the house, the property, the gardens, the window boxes and such. It was a great joy, and while I love decorating with vintage flea market finds, at this point in my life I don't relish in the never ending maintenance - instead I want to spend the time with my daughters, carve out free time to take long walks around the nearby lake without worrying about returning to weed. Freedom from the "must-dos" allows me to take time to engage in meaningful conversation with friends, to write and to live along spiritual lines.

I'm practicing Yoga in my small space alone in quiet meditation instead of paying $ for crowded Yoga classes where everyone wears expensive all-natural fiber clothes. When did Yoga turn into a fashion show? A tank top, shorts and bare feet is all I need. Or for embracing a summer day - a simple sundress. Easy.

Perhaps we convince ourselves at times that our way is the only way based on our financial income - we do without because we have to - or we spend because we have it and want to be perceived a certain way. The real question lies in this - when you "have it" how will you live? Will you simplify or complicate?

A book I always go back to is "Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World." In the chapter called "Having Enough" I read this passage when I need a basic reminder that I already have all I need (and it comes from within).

"One's expenses drop dramatically when one seriously examines the impact of consumption on one's spirit, the earth, other people and one's time. In that sense, reducing expenses is easy, since we see the true costs of our actions."

To be honest and truthful, this was not always the case for me. I spent many times without thinking - or thinking having and accumulating would bring a form of happiness but the relief is fast and fleeting - the void is never filled. Today that emptiness or hole can be filled with mindfulness and serenity instead of materialism and wanting.

Learn more about simplicity and spirituality by joining The Simple Grace Program. Please contact me if you'd like more information or to register today. My email is: bethjannery@gmail.com

Click Here to View The Simple Grace Program on a NewTalk Show

Tune in to The Sarak Show airing July 2009 and beyond...

Check Out The Simple Grace Program on a new talk show

Check out Sarak and Beth on The Sarak Show, airing in Virginia this July
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQDyD9779xM

holding on to anger

In Buddhism there is this idea that holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else, you are the one getting burned.

returning to your source

As the proverb says, No river can return to its source, yet all rivers must have a beginning.

ego & the spiritual dimension

You must have failed deeply on some level or experienced some deep loss or pain to be drawn to the spiritual dimension. Or perhaps your very success became empty and meaningless and so turned out to be a failure. - Eckhart Tolle

www.eckharttolle.com

be yourself - you already know who you are

All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself.
~Ralph Ellison

New Talk Show

The Simple Grace Program - How to Live a Meaningful Life will be featured for one year on a new coffee-talk-style talk show. Meet host Sarak and wish her a congratulations for The Sarak Show. Her new show will hit the airwaves this summer.

www.sarakshow.com

It is our light that frightens us

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

from A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson

Simple Grace

Awareness - Medita...

By Beth Jannery

Book Preview

rough edges

With every passing encounter there is a chance to grow or inspire.

Our rough edges can be sanded and smoothed by helping others and by allowing ourselves to be touched by others. We learn then heal then laugh.

Whatever you are going through today - big or small - someone somewhere has been through it and survived. Ask for help. Share your fear with a friend. Feel. Embrace the pain. Inhale grace. Grow. Bloom. Stand vulnerable in the moonlight.

photo: landscape photographer Cliff Lambson

rewards of the simple life

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life. ~John Burroughs

a favorite thing to do alone

http://smithsonian.org/visit/whatsnew/

one of my favorite things to do alone is wander around the Smithsonian Institute. if you haven't done this lately, here is a current link with new events and exhibitions. click, plan, visit, and get lost in thought.

best of all... all the museums are FREE.

here are two that look extra cool:

I Do Solemnly Swear: Photographs of the 2009 Inauguration
here until July 12, 2009

and

Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn: Jazz Composers and Their Signature Works
here until June 28, 2009

Find Somebody to Help

If you have no troubles of your own, go out and find somebody else’s. They are not half so hard to carry and your heart and soul need the exercise. - Hazelden Foundation

Green Pastures

Yes, there is a nirvana. It is in leading your sheep to a green pasture, And in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem.
-Kahlil Gibran

If what's in your dreams wasn't already inside of you how could you even dream it?
- Kobi Yamada

to feel free...true freedom

“There are only two kinds of freedom in the world; the freedom of the rich and powerful, and the freedom of the artist and the monk who renounces possessions.”

- Anais Nin

One of my favorite places

There is Poetry Here....
www.brookfarminn.com
The Brookfarm Inn, located in Lenox, Massachusetts is one of my favorite places. If you have the opportunity to attend this poetry event, or stay at the Inn for a weekend, you will LOVE it. Linda and Phil are amazing, intellectual and kind hosts. The kitchen is worth a gourmet look - very cool decorating style - and the poetry, bookshelves and literary knowledge at the inn is outstanding. Visit www.brookfarminn.com

Each morning you are greeted with a quote of the day - the rooms have Hawthorne and the like - copies of books on the nightstands, maps of hiking trails and Kripalu down the street. Here is a personal invitation if you can make it...

Dear Treasured Guests,
We're pleased to invite you to Brook Farm Inn for a special event on SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2009, at 3:00. Read the details below and stay overnight if you can.
- Linda and Phil Halpern, Innkeepers

"The Four Seasons of Edna St. Vincent Millay" at Brook Farm Inn
You are invited to celebrate the life and works of Edna St. Vincent Millay, at an event on Saturday, May 16, 2009, at 3:00 PM. At Brook Farm Inn, in Lenox Massachusetts, Peter Bergman, Executive Director of the Edna St. Vincent Millay Society at Steepletop, will present a program entitled "The Four Seasons of Edna St. Vincent Millay." The program will begin with an unknown, 1920's work, and will end with Millay's final published piece

acceptance

Meditation for the Day
Be calm, be true, and be quiet. Do not get emotionally upset by anything that happens around you. Feel a deep, inner security in the goodness and purpose in the universe. Be true to your highest ideals. Do not let yourself slip back into the old ways of reacting. Stick to your spiritual guns. Be calm always. Do not talk back or defend yourself too much against accusation, whether false or true. Accept criticism as well as you accept praise.

what do you ache for?

THE INVITATION

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.



It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.
© Mountaindreaming, from the book The Invitation published by HarperSanFrancisco, 1999

the future never comes

getting tired of hearing the current buzz phrase, "live in the moment." even if people aren't doing it they are saying it, "stay in the day." i'm guilty too, telling others to "experience the now." it can get old... and annoying. yes, we know, forget about yesterday, don't worry about tomorrow, just live in today.
i get it.

but i didn't REALLY get it until i read this passage, "All we have is the present. The past is gone forever and the future never comes. When tomorrow gets here it will be today. Am I living one day at a time?" it clicked.... if there is only right here right now...there is no worrying about the future or regret about the past. right now is the present, the past and the future all in one single day. and it is the only one i have, for today, and up to me how to best savor it. worry or regret or love and truth? it's up to me (and my freewill) to choose.

source: AA Thought for the Day, 24 hour book
image credit: The Mountain of Tomorrow's Sunrise by William Crump

donate to my friend Eddie & MADD

please help my friend Eddie walk to raise money for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Eddie spends his life helping addicts get clean and sober and he does everything he can to support recovery and MADD. here is his information:

go to: www.walklikemadd.org
go to: Houston
go to: donate to a walker
then: enter "Eddie deRoulet"

thank you

atomic energy

why i came here, i know not:
where i shall go it is useless to inquire -
in the midst of myriads of the living and the dead worlds, stars, systems, infinity,
why should i be anxious about an atom?

-Lord Byron

eternal point

when there is no more separation between this and that, it is called the still point of the Tao. at the still point in the centre of the circle one can see the infinite of all things. -Chuang Tzu, China

inspiration comes when it comes

can't always say where it is going to find me - but inspiration comes when i'm ready to grow. sometimes in nature, or places like a secluded winter island, an old barn holding memories, fields of poppies, in people, in painting, or writing, and in love.

what to do when inspired? wish i knew. feel it i guess. let it be. see what comes to the surface. let inspiration penetrate you deeply in space and time you are unaware of. perhaps a creative spark ignites something new, or who you really are. or just quiet contemplation of a better, more authentic path. if inspired then turn to it, face it, and decide to walk down it.

don't always wonder where it could lead.

Trust yourself, then you will know how to live. -Goethe (1749 - 1832)

three things about life

three things cannot be long hidden - the sun, the moon, and the truth. -Buddha

life isn't about finding yourself. life is about creating yourself.

real . risk . love . hurt . worth it?

vulnerable & authentic -
yes or no?
love - are you open to it?
gentle - welcome the quiet moments?
risk - play it safe or open your heart?
pain - can you endure?
alive - do you feel it?
real - are you real?

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?" "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time.

That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.

Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby.

But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

- Margery Williams, from The Velveteen Rabbit

IT GOES ON - appreciating life today

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. - actually said by Abe Lincoln


In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on. - Robert Frost


There is only one happiness in life -- to love and to be loved.
- George Sand, French Romantic Writer

Mom's Little Angel

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gregory E. Lang (of Daddy's Little Girl and Why a Daughter Needs a Dad fame) hits big this month with his very marketable new release titled: Mom's Little Angel: Stories of the Special Bond Between Mothers and Daughters (HarperOne, an Imprint of HarperCollins).

Doesn't the book title, like the cover, conjure up happy angelic times between a Mom and a daughter? Well, this Mom (of daughters) opens her mail today to find a copy of Lang's new book for review in an envelope. It then gets thrown in a royal blue J. Crew leather bag, stuffed under backpacks and lunches, and later found again on the kitchen counter making a nice stand for the leaky Children's Tylenol fever reducer. Lucky me, my angel Tess is home from preschool (again) after a very long weekend. Did I mention this weekend was long?

Now, as Skye (9) works on her homework reluctantly, screaming "Mom do you have a calculator" from rooms away, and Tess is complaining about her eyelids burning (fever reducer is just kicking in again), and this Mom-doctor-writer is wondering how to carve out the quiet space to give the book the attention it deserves - I finally breathe. The liquid medicine does get wiped off at some point and I grab snippets here and there.

Lang's book does deserve the attention it will get because it accurately highlights this special bond between a mother and daughter, whether in angelic moments or in chaos and insanity, the underlying emotion is love. Love! You will feel this love as you rip through the pages. Most stories (and I've perused most today stealing opportunities as they revealed themselves) give those mommy-heartstrings a tug. But more often than not, my reaction is more like a chill or shiver followed by a welled-up-tear. The selected stories bring forth pure emotion.

Lang says whereas Dad's are the heroic figures for daughters, Mom's are more like the constants in their daughters' lives (as I write this I am of course mindful of the exceptions & sad losses). This book celebrates the constants with applause. The author, being a parent himself, cheers for the daily moments rather than the superhero events. Mom's are the everyday life of the family. This resonates to the core with me since my Simple Grace Book Series is all about celebrating the daily moments in life and feeling the simple grace when it comes.

What comes to mind? Everything you would think - the obvious - heartwarming tales, teary times, warm embraces, skinned knees and Band aids. But Lang delivers more, which readers will welcome, with quotes like: "Too many times I've saved the good stuff for tomorrow, only to find out it was yesterday" and "I never thought I would be good at being a mother, but the moment I looked at my newborn daughter's face, I knew I would do anything and everything for my beautiful baby."

No doubt Mom's Little Angel will become the staple for the Mother's Day and new baby gift market, but it is more than that.

It is a tribute to the struggles mothers and daughters face that are often not mentioned in our sweep-it-under-the-carpet-sunshine-and-roses-world. No, not all the good stuff is spoon fed here. What I like most is the realness of his writing and the stories showing the difficulties in all our lives. We learn that angels aren't pretty and pink with lace and wings but they do come in the form of our little girls - muddy and sloppy and funny and silly and, like mine, with aches and pains and fevers.

Swallow this: "Any woman who survives raising a daughter like me deserves an award!" Well, here you go Mom. Thank you! You are the angel! Would I be a bad Mom if I went and told my daughters that one day they might be grateful too?

No? They'll find out on their own one day? OK, I'll file the blog and go start cooking dinner.

Book Bonus:
- gorgeous black and white imagery
- two dozen intimate stories only 1-3 pages long that will touch your soul
- a couple blank "share your memory" pages
- and my personal copy is signed - "To Beth and her Angels: Peace and joy be with you always!" Gregory E. Lang

Simple Grace - Miracle Moments

C.S. Lewis wrote about amazing miracles. This topic, miracles, never gets old for me. I could devour miracle stories. This is why I'm writing my next book about miraculous moments that happen to all of us. Miracles!

Submit your miracle moments now! My next book (2010 release) is Simple Grace Miracle Moments. Every person has one. You have one. These are simple moments of grace that happen to you, often without even realizing it.

You might brush a miracle moment off as "a coincidence." Or you may assume that miracles only happen to saints. But look around you, share your story. What miracle has happened in your life.

There could be a miracle unfolding right now.

Simple Grace Miracle Moments is to be a collection of miracle stories and moments that happen to all of us - everyday "folk" who live "ordinary lives." Watch for the extraordinary in your life.

Send it in. 50 words to 5 pages. It's up to you. If it fits in nicely with this book it may be used in print. Only send if you are okay with seeing your miracle in a book. Names can be changed - and this can be a miracle moment you "heard" happened to someone else. The best kinds of stories are the ones that are passed on through friends and family.

The only rule here: It should give the reader goosebumps! Or, as a friend of mine calls them, Godbumps. You can email me directly: bethjannery@gmail.com

allowing love to come into your life

When you are present in this moment,
you break the continuity of your story, of past and future.
Then true intelligence arises,
and also love.
The only way love can come into your life
is not through form, but through that inner spaciousness that is Presence.
Love has no form. - Eckert Tolle

a gift of grace

gifts come in funny ways and they are not always wrapped with a pretty bow. they arrive daily if we have our eyes open. one was given to me today; it appeared in my email inbox.

a reader of of one my books, Simple Grace - Living a Meaningful Life, sent a letter from the heart. it was her blog posting highlighting a couple thoughts that touched her. we're having coffee together one brisk february morning.

besides it always being a gift to hear from readers, she showed me how thoughts can be put into actions. read on. and let me know when you come up with your theme song. we're still working on ours.

blog of sharon rainey
www.sharonsnook.blogspot.com

the perfect moment

have you ever experienced a perfect moment? if you think you may have then you haven't. if you have you know with every bone in your body. these moments are rare.

it is the opening of your heart where before it was sealed. it is lifting your eyes and knowing, absolutely, that life is greater than you can imagine. time stands still.

euphoria.

nirvana.

your inner truth is revealed in a blink. if you capture it and prolong it you will experience more and intensity burns but it is alright.

for a girl who can't live in grey - it is too uncomfortable - for a girl who has the defect of creating boxes and needing to put people, places and experiences into compartments - the perfect moment is a gift.

it is a gift that brings breathing space where all is right with the world. there is no anger or resentment and all hurt is healed. the past is meaningless. i let go of anything negative. the future doesn't exist. the perfect moment is when my heart is vulnerable.

stars are brighter. the air is more crisp. the mountain's peaks are sharper than they were. the tides flow in rhythm. music is heightened and every note revealed.

maybe love is felt for the moment. i'm still, for once, space in time - and i wait for another. it gives hope i can be better than i have been. maybe the boxes open a bit more and the grey is less fearful.

facebook, time and energy drains

today i shut down my facebook. it is a fairly silly thing, the decision to do it or not, but i debated it for a day or two. pros: nice to connect, reconnect, share funny happenings and see what my little piece of the world is up to. cons: why? why bother? how about picking up the phone. call a friend or shoot an email if you want to connect. fb could easily become a time waster. and here is a big reason why...some fb lurkers who have nothing better to do than let you know they are:

wiping their kid's snotty nose - or going out to dinner - or watching The Office - or listening to "the old" Clash - or - or - or - or...

i make a rule in my life to avoid toxic people and energy drains.

then there were those who got pissy if i didn't respond right away...

"didn't you get my kidnap invite to share your top five favorite cooking secrets that helped you catch that special guy who needed your 80's quiz to know if you liked polka dot leggings or v-nectk forenza sweaters better so you can watch the Breakfast Club dvd or listen to Blister in the Sun and grab a fruity pina colada while you do this together or perhaps your more of a dirty martini girl or maybe you like...... "

you can block or ignore but that only works for so long. odd little subculture. and i'm guilty of it too. looking back over my posts i see how i once was "reading" or i want "off for the weekend" or i'd post pageant pictures or kid pictures that really, who cares?! i will admit is was a lot of fun to gear up for my 20th reunion. a useful tool.

imagine a quick, fun, harmless pop-in to take a looksie... say, ten minutes a day. well, seven days a week and there goes at least an hour of my life.

hhmm, next blog could be: ten ways to use an extra hour per week.

or, i could write about blogs are top time wasters, but then i wouldn't be very "2009" now, would i? plus, i'm an author. we are supposed to write and pontificate.

Calm Forgiving

You know I can't resist sharing a quote I stumbled across in my weekly reading. Here is a lovely one... This by Mark Twain - Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.

In other words, no matter the situation, the phone call, the email, the traffic, my response should always be - Bless Them. Heal Me.

healing

Two weeks ago I heard someone speaking about how cruel people can be. His suggestion, say a short prayer for the other person. Even if in traffic and some driver cuts you off, instead of getting angry which is what you want to do, simply stop, breathe and say this: "Bless Them. Heal Me."

Repeat as often as necessary - in traffic, in response to rudeness, after being treated unfairly, or even when you have justified anger or you know you are in the "right" and the other person has been clearly cruel, mean, or just plain wrong.

Bless Them. Heal Me.
Bless Them. Heal Me.
Bless Them. Heal Me.

Guess what? I tried it. So did a girlfriend of mine. We put it to the test. And, it works. It saves emotional energy. It reminds me what is important and if I get spun up about little rude things then I am wasting my precious time. Better for me to say, "Bless them. Heal me" and move on.

live in truth

A reminder to speak and live in truth -

I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for the truth; and truth rewarded me.
- Simone De Beauvoir

A reminder to love and be kind to each other -

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

- Dalai Lama