The Most Random of Days

We put so much emphasis on events in our lives, the ones coming up and the ones we've just experienced, but how often do we get excited for the sometimes mundane, here and now?  I say mundane, but I surely do not feel that way.  I say mundane, because I think most of you feel that way. Oh sure, cleaning the toilet or washing windows (if you're so privileged) may seem tedious at best and dirty at worst, it is being ever present within that task that actually transcends the task itself making it a moment worth pursuing.  Being present allows consciousness to expand beyond the imposed limitations of disdain and drudgery into the visions of Heaven.  One need only recognize these tasks have virtuous merit pouring out and over into every interaction, every connection, every moment.  Having morphed through life's many challenging experiences, I recognize that the quietest moments can be so much more powerful than the marching bands (and we all know not all marching bands are harmonious, to say the least).  Indeed, the quietest moments help us to stay grounded when the illusory marching bands come clanging by.  Remember in the Bible in the Old Testament, God was neither found in the rushing wind, nor the shaking earth, nor the fire, but in the quiet whisper that followed when things settled down a bit.

1 Kings 19: 10-13

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

I am never alone in that stillness.  And, neither are you (if you believe in that sort of thing).  Belief is paramount, of course, to experiencing the presence of Almighty God and His Host of Heavenly Saints and Angels.    Stillness creates that atmosphere conducive to the ever approaching, gentle yet so powerfully mysterious Spirit of Heaven.  Faith in God allows the presence of God, and all that that brings into life.  But first, you must believe and fortunately for me, I chose to believe at quite a young age.  It is so much more a part of my life than anything else.  I say 'it' but I mean 'Spirit'.  The Spirit of God transcends everything that we do if we allow it to.  Lean into God if you want to know God.  I know after speaking to several college classes lately, that God is needed now more than ever.  

Which brings me back to the present moment (always return to the present moment) and how God transcends every single moment, every single breath, every single thought, every single deed, if we allow Her/Him to.  I am ever allowing.  I welcome the experience of God in everything that I do, and if I'm engaged with you in any way, I am welcoming the experience of God in you.  I have not only come to share but to receive.  I am more open to receiving now than I've ever been and frankly, sometimes, what I need to receive is a lot but we don't always get what we need when we need it. Transcendence truly comes in handy in moments like these.  Given eyes to see, one recognizes the moment is always so much more than we believe it to be.  We sulk when we don't get what we want. We stomp our feet like children when fear overtakes us.  We lash out in disagreement when things don't go our way.  It's moments like these that faith makes all the difference.  You will know them by their fruit and if someone bites your head off, chances are they are not truly utilizing the quiet moments of their lives to maximize Grace during the 'fight song', which they take literally.  

Acknowledge God in all your ways, and He will make your path straight.  Take a moment to thank our Almighty Creator for all that has been given freely and abundantly.  Notice the abundance around you in nature and in love.  There are typically no limitations where God is concerned, so why do we impose limitations on ourselves, and others?  Why is it okay to create turbulent atmospheres throwing peace and tranquility to the wayside like some under appreciated step-child?  When does humility and appreciation overtake us to the point that we would do anything to keep it?  We go to war in the name of peace.  What if we went to peace in the name of war?  What if we put others needs first reaching far beyond our comfort level and opening up the clenched fists?  We're just so quick to anger and at what cost?  When has anger ever put anything into our hands worth keeping?

This is not the way.

In the stillness, you become acquainted with the darkest shadow parts of yourself, and others.  In the quiet, you begin to recognize what, and who you are, and 'whose' you are, as well as others.  As Pastor Joel has said and I'm paraphrasing, 'you came through your parents' you do not belong to your parents.  So who do we belong to?  Where do we come from?  And, do we really want to dismiss those shadows hoping the light won't illuminate them one day on our sojourn back to Source (which is our life's work)?  

Surely I could never live my life that way.  Bring on the light.  Bring on the stillness.  Bring on the evaluation.  I am an open book and I live for God.  I know that you and I have shadows and I acknowledge that I am helpless to dispel them without the Grace of God.   God forbid I should think that my bad behavior is capable of saving anyone on my best day.  No.  If I have ever done any good, it is the Grace of God that has done it and rest assured, if I have done any wrong (and I have) - it was truly I who is responsible and it is I who needs to repent, and I do.  All day, every day.  I have a reset button and I hit it often, as Jim Carey has said, "I ride that sucker all day long".  

God's Grace is sufficient to illuminate my transgressions and allows me the trans-formative power to transmute them for the good.  Thank God for that!  Thank God that I will be a work in progress until the last breath I take.  Thank God that the more I learn, the less I know.  Thank God for humility and love and Grace and stillness.  Thank God for patience and forgiveness.  Thank God for tests and trials. Thank God for all of those that have transgressed against me for they have become my greatest teachers.  I am still receiving this great gift through the Grace of God.  

I would be completely lost without it on the most random of days.

Trying Times

As I type this, I am sitting vigil with my beloved cancer stricken feline companion of over 13 years, Cricket, a.k.a., Cricksley Wicksley, Wicket, Wick. Cricket has been the most vocal, most anti-social, most fierce, love and attention starved being I've ever rescued. From the day I rescued her, I noticed that she was quite needy and traumatized from wherever and whatever. I rescued her from the local animal shelter, along with her sister Rosie, and now here we are. We have done all we can do for her medically and the vet gave her only a couple of days, so now, it's just a matter of time. I have been giving her Reiki, intentionally of course, and it's just flowing all the time now. Just thinking about her starts my hands up. I've learned alot about healing from her in the past couple of years. I am happy to say she's resting comfortably right now, having eaten and taken water, so there's still quite a lot of fight in her. She even managed to sit in the sun today - the thing she loves more than life itself. I honor her. I love her and I am so very grateful for her loyal companionship. I hope that I have been everything she's ever needed and I truly hope that I am and will be all she needs now. This is just the craziest week for this kind of thing. Tomorrow, I go for my yearly mammography. That deserves a line all by itself doesn't it? Dare I say that I have tremendous faith that I am cancer free? I feel well despite the radiation pneumonitis that I had 11 months ago. Truth be told, I feel really great. I mean, I am a fright to see right now with puffy eyes and a broken heart, but I'm optimistic about my health. Stay tuned. I will definitely update this blog. Now, the only things left on the agenda are two of my most favorite people in the whole world having major surgeries this week. Two very dominant males in my life are going for surgery one day apart. I have been sitting vigil with Cricket for the last 24 hours...I think this is going to be a week and half for me. I promised myself I won't cry anymore today. I know with everything going on emotion is to be expected and I allow myself all the crying time I need until it's time to move on. Crying is a huge release of energy, and a cleansing as well. Then, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again. I am doing just that. It's just that right now, this week, last week...tremendous pressure. It's good to blog about such things, processes and challenges, but most of all solutions, coping skills. Prayer, meditation, gratitude, consciousness...all tools in the coping skill bag of tricks. I know that both of my guys are going to be fine. God is looking after all of us. We put our faith in him. He makes our crooked ways straight, He heals our wounds, He guides our steps. God bless you Frankie and Jimmy. I love you with all of my heart. I couldn't ask for better friends and you couldn't ask for a better prayer warrior. God speed to all my beloved, no matter what they're facing. May the Hand of God protect them and heal them. I hope that when I look back and read these, or when you read these blogs, that you (we) learn something about human nature, human spirituality, divinity, prayer, belief, grace....cause this is the real deal. This is what life is all about. The yin and the yang. Finding the Face of God in everything. I am indeed learning to find the Face of God in everyone and everything. Everything. That's a lot of stuff. That's all the stuff.

Learning Lessons, Approving Symbols

I decided to let people sign my cast but not just sign their name, put a symbol on it. Why? Why not? I wanted everyone to think of something significant, I mean I'm the one who has to see it for weeks so the more meaningful, the better.


My stepmother put the sun.
My brother Tony put a phoenix like the one tattooed on his back. It wasn't exactly like the one on his back, but it was approved.

My Dad put a star. The same star he's been drawing for most of my life. He got a little carried away with his star, but that's to be expected. When one star draws a picture of another there's bound to be some stardust lost in translation, nonetheless, his symbol was also approved.

Then we started laughing and he wrote Ha Ha! on my cast! NOT approved lol~! Pretty funny stuff.

I've learned an awful lot about myself during this broken wrist/healing wrist process. I hate to ask for help, or needing help in the first place. I'm a righty and as you can see I broke my right wrist so....can you count the lessons? So, so many...like you can't do your hair anymore....as you can see in the pics! So curly...who knew? But seriously, the lessons are bountiful.

Like...

hugging really takes two arms

typing can happen with only one

skateboards are evil lol

it pays to know medical professionals personally

pain medication when taken properly does alleviate pain

pain medication when taken improperly can cause pain

children see none of the limitations we embrace about ourselves

doctors can be very empathetic

sleep, with a broken bone, can be elusive

a hot bath and a cast do not mix, it raises your blood pressure

as does the sun and that causes your arm to swell inside the cast - that causes pain

cats feel your pain

cats distract you from your pain and even alleviate some of it

I can peel an orange with one hand

and do self Reiki

I'd much rather use two

meditation helps to cope with pain by realizing not all pain is bad

if I stay still long enough, I forget about the cast

I see myself as whole.

I've really learned to be grateful for all that I've been blessed with, struggles and all.

I'm sorry I broke my wrist, but I'm grateful for the lessons and the love.

Thank You Almighty God

Picture taken by me...8/1/09...driving home from Bar Harbor, ME

Today is my birthday, my wrist is in a cast and I am so very grateful.

About Water

(All photos taken by MP)

1. Most of the earth's surface consists of water; there is much more water than there is land.

2. Water can not only be found on the surface, but also in the ground and in the air.

3. There is the same amount of water on earth as there was when the earth was formed. The water that came from your faucet could contain molecules that Neanderthals drank…

4. The overall amount of water on our planet has remained the same for two billion years.

5. There are two kinds of water; salt water and freshwater. Salt water contains great amounts of salt, whereas freshwater has a dissolved salt concentration of less than 1%. Only freshwater can be applied as drinking water.

6. Water consists of three atoms, 2 Hydrogen atoms and an Oxygen atom, that are bond together due to electrical charges.

7. The weight of a water molecule depends on the number of moles present, as it is 18 grams per mole.

8. Water moves around the earth in a water cycle. The water cycle has five parts: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration and surface run-off.

9. In a 100-year period, a water molecule spends 98 years in the ocean, 20 months as ice, about 2 weeks in lakes and rivers, and less than a week in the atmosphere.

10. Groundwater can take a human lifetime just to traverse a mile.

11. Most of the earth's surface water is permanently frozen or salty.

12. Water regulates the earth's temperature.

13. Water freezes at zero degrees Celcius.

14. Water vaporizes at a hundred degrees Celcius.

15. Water is the only substance that is found naturally on earth in three forms: liquid, gas, solid.

16. If water changes phase its physical appearance changes due to parting of water molecules. In the solid phase the water molecules are close together and in the gaseous phase they are the furthest apart.

17. Frozen water is 9% lighter than water, which is why ice floats on water.

18. A litre of water weighs 1.01 kilograms.

19. It doesn't take much salt to make water "salty." If one-thousandth (or more) of the weight of water is from salt, then the water is "saline."

20. Saline water can be desalinated for use as drinking water by going through a process to remove the salt from the water.

21. When water contains a lot of calcium and magnesium, it is called hard water. Hard water is not suited for all purposes water is normally used for.

22. To determine water quality certified agencies take samples that are tested in a laboratory. The samples are tested on various factors, to determine if they suffice water quality standards.

23. Each country has its own water quality standards that determine to which degree water should be purified, depending on the purpose it will be used for.

About water quantities:

1. As oceans are very wide and there are multiple to be found on earth, oceans store most of the earth's water. This is apparently 97% of the total amount of water on earth, 2% of which is frozen.

2. 80% of the earth's water is surface water. The other 20% is either ground water or atmospheric water vapour.

3. Of all the water on earth, only 2,5% is fresh water. Fresh water is either groundwater (0,5%), or readily accessible water in lakes, streams, rivers, etc. (0,01%).

4. If all the world's water were fit into a gallon jug, the fresh water available for us to use would equal only about one tablespoon.

5. Over 90% of the world's supply of fresh water is located in Antarctica.

6. Less than 1% of the water supply on earth can be used as drinking water.

7. The earth's total amount of water has a volume of about 344 million cubic miles.· 315 million cubic miles is seawater.· 9 million cubic miles is groundwater in aquifers.· 7 million cubic miles is frozen in polar ice caps.· 53,000 cubic miles of water pass through the planet's lakes and streams.· 4,000 cubic miles of water is atmospheric moisture.· 3,400 cubic miles of water are locked within the bodies of living things.

8. Approximately 66% of the human body consists of water. Water exists within all our organs and it is transported throughout our body to assist physical functions.

9. The total amount of water in the body of an average adult is 37 litres.

10. Human brains are 75% water.

11. Human bones are 25% water.

12. Human blood is 83% water.

13. 75% of a chicken is water.

14. 80% of a pineapple is water.

15. 95% of a tomato is water.

16. 70% of an elephant is water.

17. Each day the sun evaporates a trillion tons of water.

18. A single tree will give off 265 liters (70 gallons) of water per day in evaporation.

19. An acre of corn will give off 15,000 litres (4,000 gallons) of water per day in evaporation.

20. A small drip from a faucet can waste as much as 75 litres of water a day.

About water health:

1. A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water. If a human does not absorb enough water dehydration is the result.

2. A person must consume 2 litres of water daily to live healthily. Humans drink an average of 75.000 litres of water throughout their life.

3. Humans cannot drink salt water.

4. More than 2 billion people on earth do not have a safe supply of water.

5. Water regulates the temperature of the human body. If you have caught a fever you should drink lots of water.

6. Water removes waste from the human body.

7. You should never drink water straight from a lake or river, as it can be damaging to your health.

8. If you live in an old house with lead pipelines you could get health problems. Due to weathering of the pipelines lead can end up in your tap water.

9. Your drinking water may be fluoridated to help prevent dental cavities.

10. Water leaves the stomach five minutes after consumption.

11. Centres for Disease Control receive notification of more than 4,000 cases per year of illness due to drinking water contamination.

12. A quarter of the world's population is without safe drinking water.

13. Water can cause serious health damage when it is contaminated by bacteria and other microrganisms.

14. In most cities and towns, drinking water from the tap is treated so that people don't get sick with diseases such as cholera and typhoid, which are caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites found naturally in the water.

About water use and saving water:

1. Humans use more and more water each year.

2. Americans use five times the amount of water that Europeans use.

3. Humans daily use about 190 litres (50 gallons) of water.

4. A person pays about 25 cents for water use on a daily basis.

5. Two thirds of the water used in a home is used in the bathroom.

6. To flush a toilet we use 7.5 to 26.5 litres (2 to 7 gallons) of water.

7. In a five-minute shower we use 95 to 190 litres (25 to 50 gallons) of water.

8. To brush your teeth you use 7.5 litres (2 gallons) of water.

9. For an automatic dishwasher 35 to 45 litres (9 to 12 gallons) of water is used.

10. Saving a bottle of cold water in the fridge is better that taking it from the tap, because it saves time and water.

11. While brushing your teeth, instead of leaving the tap running, you should fill up a glass to rinse your mouth.

12. Baths use less water than a typical shower. Soaking in a partially filled tub will use less water than a short shower.

13. The average person spends less than 1 % of his or her total personal expenditure dollars for water, wastewater, and water disposal services.

14. Less than 1% of the water treated by public water systems is used for drinking and cooking.

15. Bottled water can be up to 1000 times more expensive than tap water and it may not be as safe.

16. Today, at least 400 million people live in regions with severe water shortages.

About water pollution and related problems:

1. Humans largely influence the factors that determine water quality, as they depose off their waste in water and add all kinds of substances and contaminants that are not naturally present. We now know more than 70.000 water pollutants.

2. About 450 cubic kilometres of wastewater are carried into coastal areas by rivers and streams every year. These pollution loads require an additional 6,000 cubic kilometres of freshwater to dilute the pollution. This amount equals to two-thirds of the world's total stable run-off.

3. Public water supplies must meet or exceed certain standards. The kind of standards that are used differ for each country. Many public water supplies consistently supply water that is much better than the minimum standards.

4. Four litres (1 gallon) of gasoline can contaminate approximately 2.8 million litres (750,000 gallons) of water.

5. Groundwater supplies serve about 80% of the population, whereas up to 4% of usable groundwater is already polluted.

6. There are 12,000 different toxic chemical compounds in industrial use today, and more than 500 new chemicals are developed each year.

7. Over 70,000 different water contaminants have been identified.

8. Each day almost 10,000 children under the age of 5 in Third World countries die as a result of illnesses contracted by use of impure water.

9. Today, drinking water meets over a hundred different standards for drinking water quality.

10. The principal sources of contamination are associated with the post World War II chemical age.

11. If all new sources of contamination could be eliminated, in 10 years, 98% of all available groundwater would then be free of pollution.

12. Most of the world's people must walk at least 3 hours to fetch water.

13. Freshwater animals are disappearing five times faster than land animals.

About water as a raw material:

1. It takes 5,680 litres (1,500 gallons) of water to process one barrel of beer.

2. It takes 450 litres (120 gallons) of water to produce one egg.

3. To process one chicken we need 44 litres (11.6 gallons) of water.

4. To process one can of fruit or vegetables we need 35 litres (9.3 gallons) of water.

5. About 25,700 litres (6,800 gallons) of water is required to grow a day's food for a family of four.

6. It takes 7,000 litres (1,850 gallons) of water to refine one barrel of crude oil.

7. To manufacture new cars 148,000 litres (39,000 gallons) of water are used per car.

http://www.lenntech.com/

Photography & Springtime Gratitude

(Photo taken by me...AC/NJ)

Today was a beautiful day and I am taking a minute to express how very grateful I am for it. Thank you God.

(Photo taken by me AC/NJ)

I wonder and I hope I'm not the only one, am I the only one? The only one bursting with joy? Thank you joy!

Seriously, I can't look out the window and not be grateful. I am so very grateful for even the smallest things...and no things at all. I am grateful for all things in between. I think I drove my husband nuts today. I think I did, but when I asked him, he just smiled and said no. No. He gets me after fourteen years. Lonnnng exhhhhale. I suppose he better.

Thank you Jimmy.

I found myself so appreciative for even the littlest things today. I saw an ant, a few bees, a dandelion...the first of 09 and was elated! I associated them with Spring and it was all good. I saw lots of budding plants, flowers, bushes, trees, birds, ducks. The breeze was warm with not a hint of a chill. Our cats were outside rolling around in the sunshine all day. They were filthy from rolling in the grass and sand and they had twigs and pine needles in their fur and it was awesome. A day well spent.

There was lots to be the ultimate observer about and even more to be grateful for.

(Photo taken by me from window in my Reiki Room)

God.

God is great.

C'mon....who else can produce a sunset like this?

A feeling like this?

Gratitude like this.

We are all but a twinkling in His eye,
we are all but His reflection.

I haven't missed a sunset in a while now and I'm not planning on missing any in the future. I am purposefully slowing down for them. Jim and I are stopping whatever were doing and spending a few minutes....we're basking in the light of the setting sun, deliberately, together marveling at it's magnificent brilliance, offering prayers of gratitude and appreciation to the Most High God.

So very thankful. Besides, the mornings offer even more to be grateful for, and truthfully, from my innermost being, I, for one, cannot wait.

(photo taken by MP this morning - our neighborhood)

What are you thankful for?