Pennies from Heaven

 

Dearly beloved Boxer dog, Jax, is great proof that heaven spills over on earth. The pets, pooches and pussy cats in life absolutely make life more livable, lovable and laughable. Not very chatty yet able to convey a love sublime, special, simple and unconditional. 

How wonderful to have a good dog around who is at once protective, playful, peaceful and precious the best kind of companion without fuss just happy to be there on the ready for a walk, a hug and kiss about the head and furry face. A faithful loyal presence as quiet as he is at times crazy, silly and super sweet, surely what God had in mind when best friends and the most cherished family members we will ever know, were created. Indeed, pets are like pennies and whispers from heaven. A powerful and sometimes prayerful presence equipped with wet kisses and warm bodies to cuddle with and keep you warm in the coldest, cruelest moments of our lives. I🤍Jax 🐾

Our Lady of Guadalupe

My mother used to say something extra nice would happen to her on December 12th, The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She expected it, looked and listened for something special and sure enough, good things, news, a little or big something would occur. Faith and hope sealed the deal to ensure Our Lady, would give a nod to such an ardent follower and devotee of the patron saint of The America's, a precious and powerful presence in my mother's life and prayers through the years.  🌹

THANK YOU

THANK YOU, For the love, the joy, the care, the sharing and being such an important part of my life. Great experiences are the bright spots in life and include fun, exciting challenges, triumphs and special moments throughout the ride of a lifetime!

Radio broadcasting is as wild and tame, nerve wracking and heart warming as one would imagine when one has the rare and wonderful opportunity to broadcast the music you love for the people you love. Music communicates a story, it conveys, heart wrenching or heart warming moments. Every emotion brought to the listener from any form, fashion or manner of heart ache about life and love lost or found, is laid bare. The voice and the lyrics become one and a musical alchemy is created, instrumentals also create a mood, be it  pensive, dark, lively, high spirited or melancholy.

Radio is something special when you are driving along, suddenly a song, that certain song or concerto, the words or rhythm bring you to tears. Your spirits are lifted or a forlorn longing is evoked. A sad story is sung about a tragic ending or new beginning, the exhilaration and excitation is thrilling and chilling. Music has done it's job to stir the soul, shake, awake, toss and turn you over, lift you up or drop you down to a contemplative humble place.

Radio is an amazing platform to lament, celebrate and frame the times of our lives, the experiences and people, the quirky, kooky, crazy, incredible, indelible, lovable, forgettable and unforgettable people, places and things, we are all about. 

Thank you, Radio, you have been, currently remain and will be a big part of my story. For now, keep on playing the music, the memories follow or are created while we listen in the car, in the house, in the backyard, in any situation you can think of where a radio playing great tunes would be a perfect addition and great company. 📻🎜🎝

SEPTEMBER

It was a good month, challenges, triumphs, tragic things occurring all around and make you wonder why. You wonder about people and how good and bad behavior is reasoned-out. We ponder life and our place in relation to it all. To seek, find and maintain peace within and outside of our own comfort zone is to evolve into better people, kinder, softer, smarter, more bright, bold, brazen and beautiful than ever. A worthy goal indeed, to bless and be blessed.

A special month, September, it means birthdays, smiles and tears about the bitter sweetness of what was, what is, birthday's together, the great day's we said hello and the sad day's we had to say goodbye. An absent brother in heaven probably does not lose track of time, seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, the years, no accounting for nor squandering of time. It must be all new time management, timeless, no time at all no special dates to remember, no anniversaries, imagine that. 

Sounds interesting, new, exciting no um deadlines, no time constraints no chaos, it is peaceful, simple, nice, heavenly.

 

Stand By

The world spins on it's axis, twirling, gyrating, shaking, sick and tired, in sync with surroundings near and far away. Various energy, matter and the inexplicable do their part according to the grand known and mysterious scheme of things. Earth's inhabitants, yes fragile as a baby, resilient as the mighty sea while completely vulnerable to any number of calamities, infirmities, disabilities, tragedies, challenges and set-backs with broken battered sails, struggling to survive. 

All of humankind aboard the same spacecraft gliding sliding slipping, suspended dangling without a net in a place that is not sure of itself, aware and unaware of the hazards humans have created. The volatile nature of humanity is clear, present and not new, the way life as lives are taken for granted, trampled-on, exploited and disrespected by those who continue to create problems, war, hate, greed reckless, unconcerned about others struggles, wants and needs. People get shaken-up, tossed aside as unimportant, without a prayer, no refuge nor peace, no love. The air is limited, stale with despair, doubt, fear filled with dark matter as evil forces try to sabotage us out of our own light suffocating the simple goodness found in the hearts and souls of earths precious inhabitants. 

Life unfolds with or without our permission, ready or not, things come to a screeching halt out of nowhere life turns to a crying, dying den of carelessness, corrupt with selfish intent to dominate those with little to no voice. In the big picture one hopes for a fair, free, just and simple existence, not asking too much. Curious though how at some point people loose themselves with obsessive wants, needs, must haves at any cost. Happiness in contrast is sought, not always found in plain sight yet constantly waiting in the wings to rise and shine and rise again not far from the surface, priceless and best when everyone experiences happiness and joy. Meanwhile, respect facilitates a good life, peaceful and harmonious. 

To live in a world that is led by love and respect is to be given a chance yet again to exist in a place of peace and send our love out to every single person in the world, to dispatch comfort, peace, respite to the weary, war torn and weather worn and somehow receive the intended powerful prayers, although simple the message is strong and able to lift the downhearted who have been put on hold or standing-by brought into light and love even as the world sometimes seems to spin out of control.

The Best

Yes, do bring out the best in me and maybe you can bring out your best, too. How nice, pleasant, no fuss, the path of least resistance to cohabitate, live in peace and harmony. 

Don't you wish everybody did starting with ourselves. It is doable, to what degree is uncertain, the trick is to consistently cultivate that center, place of peace where soft landings like reactions better yet no reaction to life's annoyances and challenges can translate into simple lovely living. The question again begs to be asked; Don't you wish everybody could?

Dreams

Sweet dreams, scary, sad, sublime, bad bizarre and inexplicable as they are, pop into my head at seemingly random times and places. The imagery is like a swift gentle wave rushing to the shore then just as quickly dissolves into the vastness of nothing and everything. What to make of it. How or why, I do not know only that it occurs often enough for me to notice and wonder about particular non descript, non threatening yet uncomfortable flashes of life as it is filtered through the labyrinth of thunderously busy neurons, synapsis firing like canons in the fiery fields of experience, memory, this cell or that region of grey matter. Do the dots need to be connected? What about the sequence, order or disorganization of time, space, form relative to the minute and massive activity of brain waves and thought process? 

The lines blur between illusion and reality, the virtual view is there but not in a tangible sense. The mysterious human brain all wired-up, cross wired, hot wired and hay wired amid the networking of dreams and hopes, ones tragedies and triumphs. All perspective based on countless factors determining what is learned, what we live with, love, detest, delight in make us sick and tired or more beautiful than ever for every and no reason whatsoever, other than we are here and there is thinking to be done. At the end of the day it turns out, too much thinking is not a good idea, pun. To be in this moment is the only true moment other than in our minds, magnificent, perplexing, simple, using only a small percentage of it's mental capacity and potential and therefore, remains this laypersons, long standing curiosity. 

Still and Quiet

 One day or two maybe more sometimes, we live on auto pilot just getting through the days and nights wondering what the next thing is, person, place, experience and will it be good. Thoughts race and become a challenge to slow down the thoughts, questions, second guessing decisions, fretting over anything but being still and quiet in the very moment when things are fine. 

To unplug tune-out and quiet the noise of constant mental chatter that is exhausting and interferes with peaceful living. It is worth all-out effort to unload overloaded thinking.  To find peace is one thing, to cultivate peaceful thinking naturally, consistently, is to live freely, unencumbered by unsubstantiated worry and  self-doubt.

The Love of You

Yes, for the love of you, I go out into a world brimming with mystery, everything joyous, painful, pleasurable, evoking anguish, amazement and confusion. The mother who loved me with all her might through the brightest days and darkest. How could I ever forget the roots, the cause and effect of learning how to go about life and living like a normal upstanding solid citizen and contributing member of society. Since childhood I strive to do right by the golden rules I was taught, the  importance of having good manners and being well behaved in public and among people in private as well. 

Having a twin brother presented challenges regarding curtailing domestic violence between the two of us. Fisticuffs often ensued pursuant upon the slightest disagreement or someone looking at the other the wrong way depending on other extenuating circumstance that would have already rendered a negative impact on the situation at hand and determine the level of tolerance, patience or degree of anger displayed.

Granted, Mark and I were like two rascally dogs who loved each other as much as annoyed, who wrestled, laughed, learned, played, fought on an on-going basis, however, if anyone, family, babysitter, friend, neighbor attempted to intervene, we did not take kindly to the attempted de-escalation of conflict and suddenly became allied forces against the arbitrator and mostly futile peace talks.

Today, I am a peace loving individual who sincerely tries to be a good person, patient with myself and others, Respect on the forefront of anything I say or do. When things, relationships, interactions with others take a weird or negative turn, the cause is usually due to careless whispers, lack of respect and/or miscommunication. 

I was clear as to the necessity for decorum and acting appropriately, sensitive to others while avoiding the rude, hateful and obnoxious predators of compassionate, kind, loving, respectful people. For the love of you precious mother, I am able to distinguish between right, wrong and everything inside and outside of what it means to be a good person. I missed you very much this year. The world limped through 2020 as a worldwide deadly virus surfaced. Will take it up in MarkIpiotis.com  It seems to have taken a toll in little and big ways on the world. I love you, me  

Best Practice

Some day's you're full of it, bs, hot air, uncertain about things, your own self worth. Thankfully
those moments do not take-up the whole day. I chalk it up to dark forces that seek to ruin beautiful impressionable and otherwise stable minds and hearts, vulnerable to low-level influences and contaminated stream of thinking, which often leads to negative self talk or lazy thinking in general eschewed perspective about anything, people, places memories, the future, a waste of time, festering good for nothing doubt, despair, fear, anger, dry seeds that require sifting and cleaning though as soon as possible, to make room for strong, healthy, kind, gracious mindful thinking. The idea is to live in the present moment which we know is absolutely the best practice for allowing love to flow in and out. 

Day's you feel good about yourself, more on the Christopher Robin side of the spectrum of personality types, a leader, excellent team player at the very least, kind, gentle and benevolent, are nice. Winnie and his tender heart, good guy, unique, curious and one who does not rush about life whether a melee ensues or sitting quietly perfectly fine neither thinking about anything in particular nor fretting over much more than the bare necessities needed to get through the day (calls to mind another bear, Rudyard Kipling named him, Baloo from The Jungle Book, another thoughtful story where art imitates life.

Eeyore, another interesting resident of 100 Acre Forest, out of the imagination of A.A. Milne, is a donkey with a loose tail, a peace loving slow moving sad fellow who is loved by his fellow creatures. Maybe he will participate in life maybe he won't, a sullen sort not quick to speak or move in general. The sky seems dark around him even though the sun shines. Good thing the loyal friends do not judge slow poke, sad guy donkey who really does not want any trouble.

Rabbit, type A personality all the way, likes to get sh!t done, busy body but loyal to his crew, the Owl is also helpful, can-do type and of course pensive, likes to think things through. Tigger is flat out irrepressible and walks with a spring in his step, can't help himself. This big exuberant bouncing tiger is enthusiastic about everything. You can count on him if need be. Piglet is nervous. Much has been written, referred to and discussed about Pooh Bear and his fellow woodsmen and women, forgot mother Kanga and baby Roo. 

From children to Zen like teachings referring to great, small, powerful lessons reminding me of what is important to keep, revere, renew and reignite to thrive and keep things in simple proper perspective.

brunodelaroza.com

LOVE ♥

Love, think of it, feel it, speak of it, give receive and understand the imperative nature of it while appreciating the value of one of the most essential elements of life. The best part of life the soft, strong, purest  love, precious powerful simple and necessary. The soul seems to suffer and suffocate without the divinity of love. Easy and hard, pure, complicated, multifaceted and possibly painful while having the potential to heal, bring joy and fill-in the gaps. Love at it's best, most beautiful is a seamless natural response to matters of the heart and soul like a vital organ, transparent yet very apparent when it is absent.

Learning to love from being loved is as important a lesson as there could ever be, how to cultivate it for a lifetime with people, family, friends, humanity, all of life. Heartfelt love fills  gaping holes bored through the core leaving us weak in places we do not want open wounds exposed, emotional abrasions and bruises, broken hearts are mendable and require the most compassionate and tender love. 

New and Improved

If we are talking about goals, striving for good health, happiness and peace inwardly and out from there is good for starters in the name of a new and improved year. I would like to fill in the blanks in my life, complete the sentence, project, thing, that requires completion or my attention at the very least. Yes, "fill in the blank", whatever that means,  for an empty person or blank moment as it dares you to somehow fill-in it's emptiness maybe even improve and bless that which requires 

So much of life is unclear, blurred lines intersect as questions and answers, brew, bubble-up and spill-over to more uncertainty. One good thought or thing at a time as life unfurls, sometimes flailing about sometimes unfolding at it's own predictable, sometimes most unorthodox, mysterious pace, calmly, quietly, peacefully, at warp speed in slow motion always with, wings of God's speed and protection. 

To be alive is good to live our days peacefully and accomplish big or little blessed goals while we continue to grow even better and more beautiful for the wear and tear everyday.