Heart & Soul

To say goodbye to someone you have known forever, someone who was a permanent fixture in your life even if there were years you saw each other almost never... it is a time when one reflects on the goodness, the love, respect, admiration and stories about the life that passes on to another realm.  The transition is sad but sacred as faith indicates after life on earth the spirit thrives in a perfectly peaceful place of existence.

The connection transcends time and space as the love is not diminished but remains in tact and in a state of grace, as if the connection is strengthened with the awareness that we now have greater access to the heavenly elements, powerful, unrecognizable to the human eye but felt with the heart and soul, spiritual connections we can not even fathom yet reveal themselves to us by way of abounding quiet and not so quiet blessings.

And so we say our sad goodbyes to prima Marian Romero, good woman, salt of the earth with a big heart and generous nature, funny, sassy and a safe place for me to land when I was bouncing off the wall with youthful exuberance and mom allowed me to hang out with. We were good paleez.

Love you Marian, rest in peace.

One Day At A Time

How bout one minute at a time? The pace of life quickens and the day is fraught with possibilities, our thoughts constantly filtering various reasons to feel good, bad, disappointed, delighted, up or down. We try to maintain a happy medium and keep it together even though at times it would be so much easier to think, say or do something negative.

Taking life one day at a time keeps it simple when any given day includes moments you kind of feel like dying inside to see anyone suffer or to feel your own pain. We do quite well to think twice about allowing anything or anyone to disturb our own peace, yet we fall prey to ill fitting moments and encounters. How we react if at all, what thoughts and attitude do we naturally harbor to strengthen ourselves or enable to weaken our ability to remain positive.

The past, the future, imagination and mood are not always the best dance partners, the dance floor in my head more often than not recognizes when one or the other is out of step, it is a clumsy thought process, funky notions and fretful concepts emerge in rapid fire succession, I trip over myself as a natural consequence until I simply stop, shift gears, regroup take a deep breath and find my best mental and spiritual stride.  I am once again cleared for take off, going for it (the moment, the day, life) peacefully doing what I can with what I have for whomever I can however it happens, in light, love, respect. Yes one day at a time, here and now ~

Happy Mother's Day!

To you dear mother, dear special one of my life. Happy Mother's Day to you for being in my corner of the world, for loving me like no one else in the world could ever do. For teaching me the way to be a good person, by your example. I hope this Mother's Day you realize what a blessing you are and will remain forever.

Happiness and peace of mind is my simple and sincere prayer for you and I am very blessed to know you are still just a phone call away, that I can hug you and talk to you and tell you how much I love you and appreciate you in my life. You lived your life for your family and sacrificed much to ensure your children were loved and cared for and understood the importance of respect for everyone.

How very important you are to me and all your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

You need to be reminded that by any measure and any standard you have accomplished an extraordinary feat in raising your six children, steering us away from careless behavior and nurturing us with your strong faith that God would see us through. You are a rare and resilient human being who did not take the easy road as a single working mother. You dared to take-on motherhood with ferocious intent to do a good job despite the challenges as vast as your prayers were constant. With much love and respect I hope we are an accurate reflection of the important, wise and wonderful things you taught us.

May the Holy Spirit and creator of life continue to bless and keep you.

Rules & Reg's

At what point does one disconnect? The light of the spirit shines brilliantly, flickers and fades with every step of life. Every moment determines the strength or weakness of the glow. The purveyors of peace pray the light never goes completely out. The heart thrives and shrivels as the rules change in the name of love, harmony, order, self preservation or in the name of hate, cold, reckless malevolence. What was once considered cruel, crazy, harmful behavior suddenly becomes acceptable for those whose mind has been emptied of reason and respect for life and the safety of others.

One does not always regulate owns own conscience be it by choice or other influences. The vulnerable fall prey and acquire a taste for hostility and aggression, detachment from a kinder, softer, peace-loving existence to a harsh, bitter, belligerent mentality. It is based on much exposure to malice, anger, frustration and unrest. Fear mongers attempt to choke the goodness out of life and seize the sweetness of the soul.

There is a strange and dark tolerance for disrespect. At times it feels like the whole world has gone mad. I don't remember it always being like this or are there simply more people which makes it more pronounce? Haters look for trouble, someone to disturb, instill worry, doubt and despair. As the sting and scars of disrespect become the order of the day this precious planet must feel every ache and pain. The collective pulse and heartbeat of mother earth longs for Love, Respect, Kindness and Compassion and in the end, must prevail.

Art

People are so creative, so gifted and capable of making awesome things. When inspiration calls something needs to happen, to evolve out of  a lump of clay, a blank canvas, a tree trunk, block of marble, slab of wood and a blank piece of paper. To craft, cut, bend, melt, mold, chisel, sand, fire, turn, tune, weave, spin, paint, carve, capture an image, dance to the melody, envision a concept, tell a story and sing a song is to express your heart and soul. From fear to faith in the divine, to love, dreams and hopes- idea's are conceived, design, form and sometimes function take shape. The meaning of life through art communicates much.

Music can be heard far into the future, the colors of the world are captured in glass, on a wall and in a building, the statue stands stoically oblivious to the years. The iron bridge suspended in mid-air is as much a work of art as it is a functional structure and engineering feat. Art, in all it's mediums evokes feelings and thoughts to ease your mind and to stir it up. Creation summons art allowing the juices to flow to the place within where there is a reservoir of flavor, rich and full of idea's. It is satisfying, a pleasing experience for both the artist and the one who encounters it.

The world is home to countless artistic genius of all ages from all walks of life, in every direction of the globe.  ☼  It is invaluable for it's therapeutic properties, immeasurable for it's capacity to heal, comfort and inspire. It is stimulating, stark, sad, joyful, exciting, explicit and engaging. The gift to create and recreate, to appreciate the natural and human made brilliance is quite special and feeds our insatiable appetite for more. Art is gracious, comforting, disturbing and a big  part of life.

Hallelujah!

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah

There's a blaze of light In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though It all went wrong
I'll stand before the lord of song
With nothing on my tongue but hallelujah

~ Leoanard Cohen

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

“I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.”

~from Saint Patrick’s ‘Breastplate’ Prayer