Loveglee

If I hear this is as good as it gets one more time, I'll scream.
It's as if everyone is sleeping trying to wake from a bad dream.
Where dulldrums and daily-to-dos are a nuisance and a bore.
Day in, day out, life has become to some a chore.

When did we become so sad and so cyncial?
Probably when we made hand washing so clinical.
Everything we do, we disect and over analyze.
Every good deed we berate and cleverly criticize.

It's no wonder most children today are on prozac.
It's less about hyperactivity and more about lack.
Lack of joy, self esteem and a soft place to land
and being given a lift up when they can't even stand.

But how do we lift up others when we can't lift up ourselves?

Perhaps start by thanking the cups on the shelves
and the dishes and the forks and the butter knives and such.
They are waiting for you and don't ask for much.
Just keep them clean and at the ready they will be
to hold your toast and cradle your tea.

And don't forget the food that's stored up in your pantry.
Like manna from above, those with eyes let them see.

Taking out the garbage is a ritual to hold dear
every day, every week, every month, of every year
is a new opportunity to clean up your mess

To get rid of the clutter and perhaps live with less.
Less of the sour, bitter and tainted
More room for thankful, grateful and sainted
As good as it gets? We need some humility.

We need some lovepassion. We need some loveglee.

Tonight thank the bed that you'll fall into without looking.
Tonight thank your husband for doing the cooking.
Tonight thank the stars for wanting our wishes.
Tonight thank your Maker for overflowing dishes.

Tonight thank your prayers and your Spirit for praying.
Tonight kiss your wife and thank her for staying.
Tonight thank the locks and the doors that secure you.
Tonight thank your dreams that inspire and implore you.

Tonight if grateful is all that you are
Tomorrow's road will not seem so far.
Tonight if a thankful heart is truly yours
Tomorrow you'll gladly do your chores.

New New

Obviously this is the old pool coming down. It was great while it lasted and we had a lot of fun in it. I'm pretty sure the girls hold the record for volley ball but the guys might protest that notion.



















Old pool gone. Old fence in background still standing. No privacy. See cars?



















Ah, much better. Now, they can't see us and we can't see them. Sweet.

New pool going up. Took about four hours. The water is another story completely.

New pool in place. Water going in slooooowly. Takes a long time to fill up a pool. So far about a day and 1/2.


























Precious water. I'm trying not to spill a drop as we put gallons into the pool. I'll use what's in the bucket to water the plants and bird baths. I've used about 5 buckets full so far.

Next we connect the filter and set up the deck alongside so we can actually get in the pool. The water is really cold so getting in the pool probably won't happen for a while.

Let me take this moment to thank God for all of His blessings and abundance that we should be able to have a beautiful house with a yard, a new fence to replace the old fence, a new pool to replace the old pool, enough water to empty the old pool (old pool water used to water the pines behind our house) and enough water to fill the new pool.

Extra water. What an amazing blessing.

God is great. He has always provided more than enough. God be praised.

Love & Namaste,

The Glory of God Shone

Ree & Jim's Rainbow

Photo taken on cell phone.

Yesterday, late in the afternoon the sky opened and there was a downpour. I had to run a pick up my husband from work. On our way back, the rain began to subside and as we were driving, I said over and over "There has to be a rainbow"! "Where is it"?

I was looking all around and just after I had said it one more time, Jimmy said "There it is"!

And there it was. We pulled over as fast as we could and we were ecstatic. It was magical. We love rainbows. We see them all the time. I think we will them into existence (don't we all).

They remind me that God is with each every one of us. Of course Holy Scripture refers to it this way ... Genesis 9

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

That's what I'm talking about. God actually reminding us that though the road may be rough at times, it gets better. It gets better because God in us makes it so. Embrace God and you embrace the Illuminating Light of Life. The Light that leads the way.

Yesterday's rainbow and Gods' promises are eternal. Yayy!

Love, Light & Namaste

Out With The Old . . .

Spring is a great time to spruce things up on the outside as well as the inside.

We've painted the outside of our house and we've taken down the old pool. By next weekend, it will be replaced. As if by magic.

No, not really. Taking down an old pool is a ton of back breaking work and we did it ourselves.

It turned out to be a pretty smooth operation. Jim and I compliment one another. He rips and tears through and I am methodical, so between the two of us, we look up and stuff's done already.

We're both so thankful that we're healthy enough to do this type of work. I know a lot of people that aren't. It was very satisfying. This is our home. These are our projects and we sink our teeth into them. We wouldn't have it any other way.

"Still Pushing Religion"?

At a recent gathering of friends to celebrate the birth of a new baby girl, one of the Mom's approached me and asked me if I was 'still pushing religion'?

I thought the question was odd. She had had a few zinfindels so I wasn't too put off - it's true, I'm a spiritual being, but PUSHING religion is not what I'd describe it as.

Her perception is true and valid though. And after giving it a good think, I embraced the comment.

It's true, I have always been mindful of God and I've had a lot to say about Him over the years..."out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks" so I guess I've been pushing religion my whole life. Okay. I can deal with that.

In fact, when I look back over the course of my life, I have been constantly engaging in a conversation about God, the Spirit, Healing, Godliness, Spiritual Warfare, Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Principles, Higher Consciousness, etc. All of that conversation leading me to this place at this time, typing these words. I'm encouraged and looking forward to my spiritual future. I have a pretty good idea where all of this is leading. Some of the mysteriousness that is my life is coming into clear focus. These are the types of things though, that one meditates upon.....Luke 2:19 "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart".

Need a mOMent?

Need to feel better about yourself? Not saying the things you need to hear? Not meditating on the right thoughts? Not feeding your Spirit the right kind of food?

We were told long ago what to focus on. Somehow we've replaced that life giving, love sharing focused thinking with negative thinking and complaining. We are not better for it. We are not healthier for it. The statistics show people are more depressed and out of balance than ever before. We are attracting all the wrong things in our lives. We want health and we focus on illness. We want happiness and we focus on sad situations. We want more love and yet we criticise the people we love the most. We want more money and we focus on our bills. Let's change what we know we can change.

One of my personal favorite NIV scriptures (I have so many) is Philippians 4:8:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Let's break it down a bit. Thinking is a VERB. An action. You can control your thougths - or thoughts can control you. You can either swim in the ocean or you can be taken out with the tide. The choice is yours.

Be mindful of the things you're thinking and DELIBERATELY, CONSCIOUSLY think better thoughts. Think better thoughts about yourself, your circumstances, your health, your finances, your relationships, the present moment, the future, the world at large.

True, noble, right, pure, LOVELY, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy! Great words. Even greater thoughts! More powerful than you will ever know in this lifetime, or make a change in your thoughts today and see if you notice a difference.

Here are a few positive Love Dialogue* thoughts I've come up with recently. I think these are probably some of the most important things I've ever written. Seriously.

Love Dialogue* is a concept I've created consisting of loving yourself, healing yourself, being yourself and caring for yourself through inner and outter dialogue interdependent, interrelating and interacting through grace, kindness, appreciation and need I say, L O V E. It is something we profoundly need in our lives today more than ever before it seems. More about that later.

If one or two jumps off the page at you, give it a good think.

Love Dialogue*

Love yourself as if loving a friend whose faults you're oblivious to.

Love yourself as if loving a friend whose limitations you do not see.

Heal yourself as if you've never known sickness.

Heal yourself from within along with the contemporary from without.

Gaze at yourself like you are gazing at the most beautiful, rare and exotic flower.

Love yourself like the true essence of your life depends on it.

Love yourself as if inside of you exists all spiritual enlightenment, all healing, all wisdom, all love.

Love is a sweet melody. Sing something sweet to yourself.

Love yourself by not associating with or identifying with illness, despite what your body and mind might say. Your Spirit says you are healed.

Love yourself unconditionally.

Love yourself consciously and deliberately.

Love yourself with all the love you've ever given to and all the love you've ever received from others. Now love yourself deeper.

Love the voice within that speaks of, manifests and returns love.

Love yourself like a child with all innocense and curiosity. You've so much to learn about yourself.

Love yourself enough to dream and believe that your dreams can come true.

Love yourself with pure, loving thoughts.

Remove all criticism from your Love Dialogue*.

Make a declaration of love, healing and grace for yourself everyday. Declare what is to be.

Love yourself enough not to take another repetitive, negative thought with you into the next moment. This moment.

Love yourself enough to start hoping for the best instead of expecting the worst.

Love yourself enough to start imagining your dreams coming true.

* * *

Remember Fun?

We finally got out to play 18 glorious holes of golf on Saturday. First time this year. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, partly cloudy, partly sunny. The course was perfectly manicured and probably the nicest course Jim and me have ever played on here in New Jersey.

It was me and three guys. Pretty typical when talking about golf. I don't know many women who play. I think only one. Lee Spencer, Senior Nascar Writer for Fox Sports . She and her husband Reid have invited us to play in Pocono, PA this summer when the race roles around. Can not wait. But, besides Lee, I'm the only she.

It's great playing with the guys. I've always been a tomboy so I can compete with the best of them.

They, on the other hand, thought it best to give me advice just about every time I got up to tee off. I think we were on the third of fourth tee when I got into position 'addressing the ball' as Norton would say from the Honeymooners when all three of them chimed in "keep your head down", "keep your eye on the ball", and last but not least "make sure you swing hard and follow through"...that's when I looked up at them smiling and laughing and told them all to shut the hell up! It was hysterical. They caught themselves and calmed down and let me hit the ball. All four of us wound up within a few feet of one another in the middle of that fairway. I held my own.

The best part of the day though, was not getting upset. Golf can be infuriating. I told myself before we went out that no matter what I was going to enjoy myself and not fret over losing a ball or missing a shot or any of it. And, I didn't. I laughed when I missed the shot. I just got another ball when I lost one (I think I lost three all day). I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I believe I am the better for it.

I heard a rumor a few other friends are taking an interest in golf and we might be going to the range together soon to hit a few....yayyyyyy! golf + summer = maria having fun!!!

Be well and go have some fun would ya?

The Universe That Is You

Written by Me 9.21.2006

You were made complete
Whoever you are
From the very start
Like the very first star

You shimmer and shine
With all of Gods' glory
In this vast cosmos
In the whole of Gods' story

Which is quite mysterious
The universe that is you
With all of its challenges
You persevere through

To spirit, with instinct,
Divinity and drive
We live this life
Side by side

Through galaxies
Of love and warfare
Cool and hot to the touch

Ask for what you want
You can never ask for too much

So warm the land
With the sun in your hand
Time is an illusion,

Sand can't stand

Or hold on until tomorrow

This is the day, give up your sorrow

And follow your inner bliss

Make a conscious miraculous list

of all that you'll create

This is the day

Don't hesitate

To know what you possess...

You possess all that is essential
You yourself are quite essential
In fulfilling the Holy mysteries
Provincially