Who Am I?

It's been a bitter, cold and snowy event here in Northern New Jersey lately and now, February has rolled up on us. 

February, the warm and fuzzy month, set aside to celebrate the passion and joy of  L.O.V.E. 

I happen to celebrate love every minute of every day, but that's just me. 

For the rest of the world February gets people closer and fired up.  They're taking advantage and using the occasion to make more love, talk more about love, buying heart-shaped, chocolate-filled, champagne-fluted celebrations of love from the local confectioners and jewelers.

But what about you?  Who and what do you love? 

Love isn't necessarily easy to come by these days, and true love seems even more elusive.

"True love" whatever that means.

Personally speaking though, love to me is so many wonderful things, it's probably pretty much impossible to completely describe, but....

I think love is smiling at the woman in front of you with the crying baby who has just about had enough as she realizes she's forgotten the diapers.

I think love is sharing what you have with someone who has less.

I think love is giving of yourself in ways that are out of your comfort zone.

I think love is about patience and compassion.

Those seem obvious.

I think love is the God given ability to see the shimmer of light inside the ice crystals that formed on the snow this Winter in the yard and inside the icicles that hang on the rafters on the side of the house.

That's pretty much the same as the love I see in the twinkling of the stars, especially shooting stars, and the moon and the sun and clouds in the sky.

I think love is the morning sun, accompanied by chirping birds, that beam into my room and wake me up almost everyday and promise me I am not alone - never alone.

And, I think love is the warmth of Mohito's belly when she comes to snuggle with me---ME!!  She chooses to come and snuggle with me.  That's some sweet love.

For me, love lives in my memories, my past experiences with family and friends, moments of good will, charity, peace and tenderness, celebrations and times of struggle.

I love the fact that as a family, ours has gotten through many things. "Gotten through" being the operative words.

You've got to get through.

Believe it or not, for me, some love filled experiences are simpler than that.

They're just moments when a breeze would touch my face or the sun would fill my eyes and I would know that I know that I know - that I am His and that He loves me and all of this is an illusion and that time will reveal all the mysteriousness that I know in my soul to be about this life.

Beyond people, love for me lives in every living thing.  Every plant, every animal, every creature alive even the smallest has significance, otherwise why would it be here.  I'm not so quick to squish.  I pretty much capture, bring to a safe place, and release.  That's love!!

Spiritually speaking, love has brought me to my knees in prayer about my family, friends and circumstances.  Love lives in the spirit and the righteousness of prayers.  I believe that God, in His love, has provided healing for our bodies, our minds, our spirits, and our circumstances through love filled prayers -->

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 
James 5:16 (KJV)

I believe that Reiki and healing are based in prayer, truth and love.

I believe that love is praying to God for an understanding about forgiveness, forgiving yourself and those that haven't even asked you yet - by the way, they may never ask but you should forgive them anyway. 

Karma is all about giving. 

Love is giving. 

I believe healing lives in for'give'ness.

Pray for healing for strangers, family, friends, yourself...all filled with love.

Love is prayer. 

And, love inspires healing prayers.

I think love is knowing that God has me and you and it, all figured out and our faith alone will dictate our success.

I think I will die trying to please God, because I love God and I love love.  I love peace.  And, I love you.

This is the most important blog to date.  L. O. V. E.

All you need is . . . love.

Happy Valentines Day! 

"Not because of who I am, but because of what you've done.  Not because of what I've done, but because of who you are....I am Yours."

Worthy is the Lamb

I know who I am. I know where I've come from and where I've been. I know exactly how I got to be in this place.

What I don't know is who you are and how you got here too?

Do you think our meeting is by chance? Or do you believe it may have been orchestrated by someone, somewhere, higher and mightier?

God, I give you all the praise for my life and or any goodness that comes from it. Take away that which is not meant for me. Take away that which is not my charge. Increase that which is.

Thank you and Amen.

Coins In The Mouth Of A Fish

From l to r top, Dad & Mom (Frank & Joan)

bottom, me & Deb

One of my earliest memories is of being in a Catholic convent in Jersey City. My parents were working (dad a drummer and mom a bookkeeper) during the day, so the baby - me, had to go somewhere. My sister Debbie was old enough for school so off she went.

At 5 years old I went to nursery school at the convent. I went there for several years. A dozen or so devoted, Catholic nuns took care of all of the children. There were babies upstairs and bigger kids downstairs. I wish I could remember the name of it. My mom can't either and it is since long gone. But the memories of that place, I realize left an indelible impression on me. The convent experience was life path altering.

The Chapel was a very Holy place obviously, but to me, it became my second home. A sacred place that I went to everyday. I would stare at the stained glass windows depicting these larger than life people that I would come to know and love (or did I always know and love them?). I was there every day listening to the nuns sing and pray in Latin and English and eventually, I would recite along with them. They were diligent in their daily devotions and I gravitated, naturally, more and more toward their God and their meditations. I believe God inhabits the praise of His people...and surely He was in our midst.

The Holy Host was another matter entirely. During that precious dedication and offering of Christ's Body and Blood, I watched them, day after day, receive this round wafer. I waited in anticipation of receiving one myself. I waited. And I waited. They never gave it to me. Why was I excluded? I was at the Chapel everyday. I was well behaved. I was quiet (in Church). What was happening?

Of course, unbeknownst to me, I was too young to receive Holy Communion so I did the next best thing. I wanted to be included in their ritual. I wanted to share in their Communion. So, when no one was looking I would take small pieces of tissue paper from boxes of kleenex that were placed randomly throughout the convent, and I would eat them. I remember it like it was yesterday. I did this for a long while. What was I thinking?

Looking back, I realize I was thinking I wanted more of all of it. I smelled the incense. I saw the candles flickering. I heard and listened to the living Word of God. More importantly, I felt the presence of God. He was speaking to my heart at such a young and tender age. How could I possibly understand the magnitude of what I was being exposed to?

At the end of the day, one of my parents would pick me up and bring me back home. After dinner, my mom would get me ready for bed and some nights, I would take down the crucifix I had on the wall next to my bed, and take out the nails that were piercing My Saviors Hands and Feet. I would put them aside and take His Body and put it, ever so gently on my pillow. He suffered enough today, I would think to myself. I just want Him to rest.

In the morning, and I hated doing this, I would put the nails back in His Hands and Feet and put the cross back on the wall. I did this for some time as well. I had to put Him back. I always put everything 'back where I found it' when I was a child, as I was taught.

I still have that feeling. All these many years later, I am still that little girl waiting in anticipation for more of what God has to offer. It's all very mysterious to me. Mysterious and fascinating. I am a child of the Most High God. Always was, always will be and I am ever so thankful to God for giving me parents with such busy schedules.