Merry meet Friends!
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead." ~ Kara Goucher
"Never let a stumble in the road be the end of the journey." ~ anonymous
"There will always be bumps in the road...but if you stay positive and believe that you can get through it, you will." ~ Savannah Rose Neveux
"There are no mistakes; everything- even bumps in the road - provides a lesson that's necessary for us to evolve, and to get wherever it is we need to be." ~anonymous
As I was preparing for work on yesterday, I decided to wrap my hair as I will often do. One side was smooth and exactly as I wanted it, the other was twisted and crooked. As I worked with the twisted side, pulling, tugging and tucking, it looked better than the smooth side. I laughed to myself and thought, "Isn't life just like this? We go along with things running smoothly (seemingly) and then we hit some bumps, twists and turns which, in the end, are for the betterment of our lives." I could have taken it down and started again, which is sometimes necessary, but in this instance, I would have missed this lesson. The lesson: work with the bumps and twists of life that challenge us.
Life doesn't always proceed exactly in the way we have planned and even if it does, it doesn't proceed without some obstacles. "The beautiful thing about setbacks is, they introduce us to our strengths." said Robin Shanna. But that will only happen if we don't allow the setbacks to paralyze us. Ed and Deb Shapiro expressed it this way: "When you hit that unexpected bump in the road, remember that it is only a bump, not a mountain. Go over it or around it but make sure you keep going." Perseverance is defined as steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. If we plod on we will reach our goals.
It is easier to give up than to keep going. There is such satisfaction in completion though, isn't it? When I was jogging, my daughter advised me to start with the amount of time I could and every other day increase by one or two minutes. That advice was extremely helpful to me. I started with four minutes and little by little increased my time to fifty minutes. It didn't take as long as I imagined it would have. Continuing increased my capacity to continue. Working through obstacles when encountered will do the same. Each time one works through something, one will find it not so difficult the next time and may actually look forward to the challenge.
When I was growing up my grandfather, when met with an obstacle, would always say, "Carry them before the board.". "Them" being whoever stopped the process of getting the desired outcome. Perhaps this is where my perseverance originated. When my oldest daughter was soon to graduate high school, Howard University, which was her first choice, had not offered any scholarship. She was number 5 in her class. I called Howard's finance department and I was told there was no money. I asked to speak to whomever was over that person. I was told it wouldn't matter because, again, there was no money. I insisted and was given a supervisor who told me the same thing. I persisted until I was given a director who sent essay questions for Zakiya to choose. Long story short: Zakiya was given a scholarship that included tuition and room and board as long as she maintained a "B" average, which she did.
I told that story to other mothers whose children needed money and was told there was none. Our lessons are not only for us but for others we can help. Bumps in the road that allowed me to see and use my strengths that I wasn't aware I had, all because I kept going. No one wants to have hiccups along the path that we travel. We probably all prefer smooth roads and we do get them at times. But it is in the heat that change occurs. "The glassblower knows: while in the heat of beginning, any shape is possible. Once hardened, the only way to change is to break." ~ Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening; meditation for February !9th. Sometimes we may have to be broken in order for change to happen but we don't stay broken, we become whole. Allow the bumps in the road to get you where you need to be and and to let you see of what you're made. The bumps are only temporary but, oh so necessary.
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again,
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama Michelle
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Richmond, VA Valentine Day
Merry meet Friends!
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." ~ Rumi
"Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames." ~ Rumi
"Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love." ~ Rumi
"What is required is that we love the difficult and learn to deal with it. In the difficult are the friendly forces, the hands that work on us. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke
"Close your eyes. Fall in love. Stay there. ~ Rumi
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY Lovelies!!!
On yesterday, I went to DC with my sister in law and her daughter, to help my daughter Tiffany select her wedding gown. We went to three bridal shoppes in Northern Virginia. In order for my daughter Zakiya, who lives in Los Angeles, to participate, I Face-timed her. I was so tired because I had worked until 12am, stayed awake until 2:30am, woke at 3:30am, fell asleep again at 5:30am and woke at 7am to prepare to leave. When we arrived we picked uTiffany and her friend Liz, who is also a bridesmaid in the wedding. Our first stop was the wedding venue. I had gone before with Tiffany to see it but couldn't get the tour due to an event that day. This time we had full access.
The place is beautiful! She can have the ceremony inside or out. She was adamant about it not being outside because of the humidity in July but she is reconsidering. It is an evening wedding and it would be beautiful outside. We shall see. She has her own mind, that one does, and always has. Everything will be held there, which makes it so much easier on everyone. From there we went to the bridal shoppes. Tiffany looked so beautiful in every gown. Of course she looked better in some than others. When she tried on the fourth gown, she looked up and said, "I'm getting married!". She then started to cry..happy tears to be sure, but tears, none the less. Well that started it for all of us. It became a reality to her, I think. Phone calls, and internet searches are not quite the same as seeing one's self in the actual gown. In the last shoppe, the owner offered jewelry to try on. With the veil added, we had the full effect and there were tears again. This time it was Zakiya who started. Tiffany looked like a princess. The gowns accentuated her hour glass figure.
We then went to dinner. While there Tiffany admitted that she hadn't expected to find anything she liked. She was pleasantly surprised. She has narrowed it down to two at the first shoppe, one at the second and two at the third. There is one gown that stood out for most us. It was...amazing! That gown was the one that moved Zakiya to tears. Whatever she chooses, however, will undo us all, I'm sure. We dropped off Liz at her apartment and Tiffany at hers and headed back to Richmond. It was a full day ending around 9pm by the time I returned home. How exciting that it was the day before Valentine Day, the celebrated day of love!
There are so many ways, things, people and places to love, aren't there? I, for one, think it's best to start with self love. In loving ourselves, we learn how to love...everything! Even the difficult in our lives have been placed there for our learning. This world is a school, is it not? We learn to re-member what we have forgotten. I am in the process of re-minding myself...making my mind new again. What I mean, is that we have been conditioned to think a certain way from birth. It's the collective consciousness...when the majority thinks a certain way, usually everyone follows suit. We forget that we have come to earth with incredible abilities and we have forgotten how to use them. Learning to love ourselves and by extension others, is a wonderful way to remember.
We do need to, as Rumi suggests, find the barriers within ourselves that keep us from loving and, I might add, living fully. For how can we fully live if we don't fully love? It all begins with us. Love yourself today and every day. Think good thoughts, speak good things to yourself and nurture, nurture, nurture YOU!
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again,
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama Michelle
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." ~ Rumi
"Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames." ~ Rumi
"Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love." ~ Rumi
"What is required is that we love the difficult and learn to deal with it. In the difficult are the friendly forces, the hands that work on us. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke
"Close your eyes. Fall in love. Stay there. ~ Rumi
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY Lovelies!!!
On yesterday, I went to DC with my sister in law and her daughter, to help my daughter Tiffany select her wedding gown. We went to three bridal shoppes in Northern Virginia. In order for my daughter Zakiya, who lives in Los Angeles, to participate, I Face-timed her. I was so tired because I had worked until 12am, stayed awake until 2:30am, woke at 3:30am, fell asleep again at 5:30am and woke at 7am to prepare to leave. When we arrived we picked uTiffany and her friend Liz, who is also a bridesmaid in the wedding. Our first stop was the wedding venue. I had gone before with Tiffany to see it but couldn't get the tour due to an event that day. This time we had full access.
The place is beautiful! She can have the ceremony inside or out. She was adamant about it not being outside because of the humidity in July but she is reconsidering. It is an evening wedding and it would be beautiful outside. We shall see. She has her own mind, that one does, and always has. Everything will be held there, which makes it so much easier on everyone. From there we went to the bridal shoppes. Tiffany looked so beautiful in every gown. Of course she looked better in some than others. When she tried on the fourth gown, she looked up and said, "I'm getting married!". She then started to cry..happy tears to be sure, but tears, none the less. Well that started it for all of us. It became a reality to her, I think. Phone calls, and internet searches are not quite the same as seeing one's self in the actual gown. In the last shoppe, the owner offered jewelry to try on. With the veil added, we had the full effect and there were tears again. This time it was Zakiya who started. Tiffany looked like a princess. The gowns accentuated her hour glass figure.
We then went to dinner. While there Tiffany admitted that she hadn't expected to find anything she liked. She was pleasantly surprised. She has narrowed it down to two at the first shoppe, one at the second and two at the third. There is one gown that stood out for most us. It was...amazing! That gown was the one that moved Zakiya to tears. Whatever she chooses, however, will undo us all, I'm sure. We dropped off Liz at her apartment and Tiffany at hers and headed back to Richmond. It was a full day ending around 9pm by the time I returned home. How exciting that it was the day before Valentine Day, the celebrated day of love!
There are so many ways, things, people and places to love, aren't there? I, for one, think it's best to start with self love. In loving ourselves, we learn how to love...everything! Even the difficult in our lives have been placed there for our learning. This world is a school, is it not? We learn to re-member what we have forgotten. I am in the process of re-minding myself...making my mind new again. What I mean, is that we have been conditioned to think a certain way from birth. It's the collective consciousness...when the majority thinks a certain way, usually everyone follows suit. We forget that we have come to earth with incredible abilities and we have forgotten how to use them. Learning to love ourselves and by extension others, is a wonderful way to remember.
We do need to, as Rumi suggests, find the barriers within ourselves that keep us from loving and, I might add, living fully. For how can we fully live if we don't fully love? It all begins with us. Love yourself today and every day. Think good thoughts, speak good things to yourself and nurture, nurture, nurture YOU!
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again,
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama Michelle
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Richmond, VA
Merry meet Friends!
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you." ~ C. JoyBell C.
"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it." ~ J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
I've been thinking quite a lot about believing and knowing. A belief is an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists, according to the dictionary. To know is to perceive or understand as fact or truth; to apprehend clearly and with certainty.The two are very close in definition but I came to the conclusion that belief comes before knowing. I can accept (believe) that something is true but when I know that I know that I know, that knowledge can not be shaken by anything.
I have been rereading Richard Bach's book, Illusions which is why I began to ponder belief and knowledge. As we continue to believe a thing, it becomes embedded in us and the thing becomes a knowing. In several paragraphs, it says "and as he believed, so it was". This is referring to the thing becoming a reality because of the belief. But I asked myself, "Isn't that because it was known without any shadow of doubt?" In my own life I have had many instances of believing and knowing. Things have happened for which I have had no explanation other than I knew it would and so it was.
While the book may have prompted my thoughts, there are incidents happening which are causing a "not knowing" or uncertainty about my job. I'm not anxious about income because I trust Spirit, but I am wondering what's next for me. I do want to spread my wings and let the winds carry me. Where would that be...what would that be? In our lives we become so accustomed to the way things are, we can't always see what they can be or how they can be. Plato's Allegory of the Cave comes to mind. There are prisoners who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. Shadows are projected on the wall from things passing in front of a fire behind them. They give names to these shadows as they become as close to viewing reality as they can get. The point is, the shadows are not the reality but a perception, they would see that if they broke free from the illusion.
Richard Bach speaks about creatures who live along the bottom of a crystal river with the current sweeping over them all. The creatures cling to twigs and rocks and as Bach says "for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth". But there was one who tired of clinging and decided to break free. Yes, he was tumbled and smashed but refused to cling again and eventually the current lifted him free and he was no longer bruised. As he went downstream other creatures saw him and thought him a savior because he was free. He explained he was the same but had broken free of clinging. They didn't believe they could do the same and as he went his way, they made up legends about him. They knew no other life and did not believe enough to know another way of life is possible.
Aren't we the same? We see someone doing great (in our minds) things and think they have something that we do not. In reality we are all capable of doing anything we wish to do. We don't want the uncertainty of not knowing and we don't believe we can. But we can! We need to believe we can, so much so that it becomes a reality for us. We don't need to know the outcome, we just need to trust Spirit to guide us. It's human nature to wonder about the outcome or what's next but it shouldn't paralyze us into non action. We all, I believe, have dreams. Some fulfill them and some don't. Most people believe that it's money that stops them from living their dreams but if we just take a step and move forward, everything will be provided at the time it's needed. Peter walked on water until he realized what he was doing and thought about it; therefore he began to sink. "The moment you doubt.." as it says in the above quote.
Let's begin to believe and then know of what we are capable, for it is beyond our wildest imagination. Everything was a thought first before it became a reality, even us. Words become flesh, amen?Flesh is anything that we can conceive in our thoughts...telephones, computers, airplanes. And so it is!
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again,
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama MIchelle
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you." ~ C. JoyBell C.
"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it." ~ J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
I've been thinking quite a lot about believing and knowing. A belief is an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists, according to the dictionary. To know is to perceive or understand as fact or truth; to apprehend clearly and with certainty.The two are very close in definition but I came to the conclusion that belief comes before knowing. I can accept (believe) that something is true but when I know that I know that I know, that knowledge can not be shaken by anything.
I have been rereading Richard Bach's book, Illusions which is why I began to ponder belief and knowledge. As we continue to believe a thing, it becomes embedded in us and the thing becomes a knowing. In several paragraphs, it says "and as he believed, so it was". This is referring to the thing becoming a reality because of the belief. But I asked myself, "Isn't that because it was known without any shadow of doubt?" In my own life I have had many instances of believing and knowing. Things have happened for which I have had no explanation other than I knew it would and so it was.
While the book may have prompted my thoughts, there are incidents happening which are causing a "not knowing" or uncertainty about my job. I'm not anxious about income because I trust Spirit, but I am wondering what's next for me. I do want to spread my wings and let the winds carry me. Where would that be...what would that be? In our lives we become so accustomed to the way things are, we can't always see what they can be or how they can be. Plato's Allegory of the Cave comes to mind. There are prisoners who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. Shadows are projected on the wall from things passing in front of a fire behind them. They give names to these shadows as they become as close to viewing reality as they can get. The point is, the shadows are not the reality but a perception, they would see that if they broke free from the illusion.
Richard Bach speaks about creatures who live along the bottom of a crystal river with the current sweeping over them all. The creatures cling to twigs and rocks and as Bach says "for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth". But there was one who tired of clinging and decided to break free. Yes, he was tumbled and smashed but refused to cling again and eventually the current lifted him free and he was no longer bruised. As he went downstream other creatures saw him and thought him a savior because he was free. He explained he was the same but had broken free of clinging. They didn't believe they could do the same and as he went his way, they made up legends about him. They knew no other life and did not believe enough to know another way of life is possible.
Aren't we the same? We see someone doing great (in our minds) things and think they have something that we do not. In reality we are all capable of doing anything we wish to do. We don't want the uncertainty of not knowing and we don't believe we can. But we can! We need to believe we can, so much so that it becomes a reality for us. We don't need to know the outcome, we just need to trust Spirit to guide us. It's human nature to wonder about the outcome or what's next but it shouldn't paralyze us into non action. We all, I believe, have dreams. Some fulfill them and some don't. Most people believe that it's money that stops them from living their dreams but if we just take a step and move forward, everything will be provided at the time it's needed. Peter walked on water until he realized what he was doing and thought about it; therefore he began to sink. "The moment you doubt.." as it says in the above quote.
Let's begin to believe and then know of what we are capable, for it is beyond our wildest imagination. Everything was a thought first before it became a reality, even us. Words become flesh, amen?Flesh is anything that we can conceive in our thoughts...telephones, computers, airplanes. And so it is!
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again,
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama MIchelle
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Richmond, VA
Merry meet Friends!
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, teachers."
"Like attracts like. Just be who you are, calm and clear and bright. Automatically, as we shine who we are, asking ourselves every minute is this what I really want to do, doing it only when we answer yes, automatically that turns away those who have nothing to learn from who we are, and attracts those who do, and from whom we have to learn, as well."
"The only obligation we have in any lifetime is to be true to ourselves."
"Only a few people are interested in what you have to say, but that's all right. You don't tell the quality of a master by the size of his crowds, remember,"
"The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in a while, and watch your answers change." All quotes from Richard Bach; Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
This book was assigned reading when I took classes to become a Religious Science Practitioner with Revs. Dwight and Thelma Smith. Along with his other book, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, I learned more about faith and trust than I had known previously. The journey to one's true self is not always an easy one. There are many trials and tribulations on the path. However, if we believe that Spirit has spoken to us about our path, then we must go forward. Sometimes we are misunderstood when we say or do things as directed by Spirit. People may think that we are a little crazy; we may even think it ourselves.at time.
In 1999, I felt I heard from Spirit to get a nose ring. What I actually heard was that Spirit wanted to get rid of some mindsets that people had about ministers. At the time I wasn't one!, at least not an ordained one. Spirit has a sense of humor. I went into the shop 4 times before I finally allowed the woman to do it. Various people told me it was the worse pain. I have a high threshold but no, I didn't want to do it. I didn't feel a thing. The young woman was a medical student and knew what she was doing. I needed to trust Spirit and not what people said.
Isn't that the way of it though? We hear Spirit but we listen to other voices. John 10:5: "My sheep know my voice and the voice of another they will not follow." In a conference at Lakewood church in 1986, Billie Brim, a female prophetess, said Spirit spoke that scripture to her and said: "But we are not another." She was saying that we are one with Spirit and and that we when we truly listen to our spirits we will not be led astray. I have been guilty of not truly listening and have paid the price for it. I have learned in the process for every thing is a learning experience.
I love learning and I love to share what I learn. I realize that not everyone will receive what I share but that's ok. It is my journey after all. I get so excited when I learn something that I had forgotten I knew (we do know all things) that I want to share it with all I encounter. I don't adhere to everything that I learn but it is in the sharing that bring new insights from others. We learn from each other. One of the above quotes says, "we are all learners, doers, and teachers." I learn and I share which is teaching. I sometimes have trouble in the "doing". Trusting what Spirit says and having faith that Spirit is in control is an area that I sometimes will fall short.
It is all a learning process and I am constantly learning. Being true to myself as I learn who I am changes my consciousness. Changing my consciousness changes the answers to the questions that Richard Bach posed. This may also change the people who are in one's life. Sometimes there are people who can not learn from us or we them, at least not then or maybe never. The people who are meant to be in our lives are there for the time allotted. Cherish those moments. Nothing is ever lost, every one, every thing has a lesson and I believe an opportunity for something greater if we pay attention.
When we do actually listen to Spirit and follow through on what's being said, it does not mean it will always be easy but it we continue to persevere, we will overcome. Philippians 3:14 calls it "pressing toward the mark of the high calling in God through Christ Jesus". Henry David Thoreau says it this way: "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Persevere, in spite of and despite all odds, and you will succeed.
I leave with quote from Thoreau: "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again,
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama MIchelle
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, teachers."
"Like attracts like. Just be who you are, calm and clear and bright. Automatically, as we shine who we are, asking ourselves every minute is this what I really want to do, doing it only when we answer yes, automatically that turns away those who have nothing to learn from who we are, and attracts those who do, and from whom we have to learn, as well."
"The only obligation we have in any lifetime is to be true to ourselves."
"Only a few people are interested in what you have to say, but that's all right. You don't tell the quality of a master by the size of his crowds, remember,"
"The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in a while, and watch your answers change." All quotes from Richard Bach; Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
This book was assigned reading when I took classes to become a Religious Science Practitioner with Revs. Dwight and Thelma Smith. Along with his other book, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, I learned more about faith and trust than I had known previously. The journey to one's true self is not always an easy one. There are many trials and tribulations on the path. However, if we believe that Spirit has spoken to us about our path, then we must go forward. Sometimes we are misunderstood when we say or do things as directed by Spirit. People may think that we are a little crazy; we may even think it ourselves.at time.
In 1999, I felt I heard from Spirit to get a nose ring. What I actually heard was that Spirit wanted to get rid of some mindsets that people had about ministers. At the time I wasn't one!, at least not an ordained one. Spirit has a sense of humor. I went into the shop 4 times before I finally allowed the woman to do it. Various people told me it was the worse pain. I have a high threshold but no, I didn't want to do it. I didn't feel a thing. The young woman was a medical student and knew what she was doing. I needed to trust Spirit and not what people said.
Isn't that the way of it though? We hear Spirit but we listen to other voices. John 10:5: "My sheep know my voice and the voice of another they will not follow." In a conference at Lakewood church in 1986, Billie Brim, a female prophetess, said Spirit spoke that scripture to her and said: "But we are not another." She was saying that we are one with Spirit and and that we when we truly listen to our spirits we will not be led astray. I have been guilty of not truly listening and have paid the price for it. I have learned in the process for every thing is a learning experience.
I love learning and I love to share what I learn. I realize that not everyone will receive what I share but that's ok. It is my journey after all. I get so excited when I learn something that I had forgotten I knew (we do know all things) that I want to share it with all I encounter. I don't adhere to everything that I learn but it is in the sharing that bring new insights from others. We learn from each other. One of the above quotes says, "we are all learners, doers, and teachers." I learn and I share which is teaching. I sometimes have trouble in the "doing". Trusting what Spirit says and having faith that Spirit is in control is an area that I sometimes will fall short.
It is all a learning process and I am constantly learning. Being true to myself as I learn who I am changes my consciousness. Changing my consciousness changes the answers to the questions that Richard Bach posed. This may also change the people who are in one's life. Sometimes there are people who can not learn from us or we them, at least not then or maybe never. The people who are meant to be in our lives are there for the time allotted. Cherish those moments. Nothing is ever lost, every one, every thing has a lesson and I believe an opportunity for something greater if we pay attention.
When we do actually listen to Spirit and follow through on what's being said, it does not mean it will always be easy but it we continue to persevere, we will overcome. Philippians 3:14 calls it "pressing toward the mark of the high calling in God through Christ Jesus". Henry David Thoreau says it this way: "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Persevere, in spite of and despite all odds, and you will succeed.
I leave with quote from Thoreau: "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again,
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama MIchelle
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Richmond, VA
Merry meet Friends!
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"There are two paths of which one may choose in the walk of life; one we are born with, and the one we consciously blaze. One is naturally true, while the other is a perceptive illusion. Choose wisely at each fork in the road." ~ T.F. Hodge, From Within I Rise: Spiritual Triumph Over Death and Conscious Encounters with "The Divine Presence"
"They thought that it would be a disgrace to go forth as a group. Each entered the forest at a point that he himself had chosen, where it was the darkest and there was no path. If there is a path it is someone else's path and you are not on the adventure." ~ Joseph Campbell, The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell On His Life & Work
"When you find your path, you must ignore fear. You need to have the courage to risk mistakes. But once you are on that road...run, run, run, and don't stop til you've reached its end." ~ Jose N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love
"The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost. we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark." ~ Barbara Hall
My musings this week, as one can tell, has been about paths; expected and unexpected ones. Most of my life I have been consumed with "what to do". I wanted to be sure that I was on the "right" path for my life. So, naturally there have been many false starts, right starts, no starts; yet all of them have been "right" because all of them have been a part of my journey. As I awaited the doctor's call this past week, I was at peace because I knew that whatever the report, it was my journey. I was ready to walk down whichever path I was led. I would say to anyone that I was fine no matter what. The thing is that I really meant and mean that. (My only concern was my youngest daughter's upcoming wedding. I didn't want her mind on anything except her wedding). Whatever the doctor said would be the same for me. Malignant or benign would be equal. The doctor called me on Tuesday, January the 19th and said the calcifications were benign. I thanked her and gave the news to my coworkers who were overjoyed. So were my family and friends. I felt tremendous love and relief from everyone and I am grateful for all prayers, well wishes and thoughts.
Even though any news had emotional equanimity, I thought about what I wanted to do with my life in the event the report said malignancy. I felt, because there were so many and the breast was already smaller than the other, that it would probably demand a mastectomy and chemo this time. I began to ponder what was truly important in my life; perhaps that is the point of all of this. I want to experience living life fully; being totally in the moment, whether washing dishes or discovering a cure for cancer. I wish to embrace each second as sacred because it is. Yet I still want to answer the longings of my heart and heed the cries of my soul. Gautama Buddha said, "If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." Selah!
What's important to me? What do I really desire? What's important to any of us? Do many of us take the the time to ask that question and wait for a response? Are we afraid of what the answer may be?Are we afraid of where it might lead us OR from what it might take us? Family and loved ones are always important to us, without question but what is hidden in your soul? What are your dreams? Where do you wish life to take you? Maybe you're already there. There is sacredness and fulfillment in every day living. I know this to be true yet my soul still cries for "else". Sarah Ban Breathnach has a book called "Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self". I read that and her first book, "Simple Abundance" in the 90's. She was one of the first authors that I encountered on my "search for self". I know myself better today than I did then yet I am constantly evolving into the person I was born to be. So I guess I can say I know me at this stage of my life, the now me. I am still excavating the authentic Michelle Marie.
It is my desire to live in a higher state of consciousness than I have previously. I'm always working on myself. Sometimes I don't like what I see but I look at it directly. It can't leave if I ignore it. "This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." ~ William Shakespeare We must ask ourselves the hard questions. We must explore the attics and basements of this house that we inhabit. W e must dig deeper and deeper in order to know ourselves fully so that we may "be" ourselves.
There is always something that triggers a change in our lives: illness, divorce, death of loved ones, birth, marriage, loss of income, etc. Something happens that gives us pause; that makes us rethink where we are headed. This is the second time that the threat of cancer has caused me to take a look at this temple in which I live. I need to honor it more than I have. It's like a pet really. It needs to be fed, exercised and loved. Sometimes we treat others better than we do ourselves. Exercising the mind and nourishing my spirit is equally important. I've been quiet in my spirit since the doctor called on Tuesday. I am contemplating and meditating on what's next for me. I believe that this was a wake up call for me to, well, wake up! This quest for me is never ending and I'm glad. Wherever I am led on this journey, this path of life, I hope to embrace it with all that I am and all that I have. The point is to embark.
Until next Sunday,
Merry pat and merry meet again,
Blessed be!,
Gypsi Mama Michelle
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"There are two paths of which one may choose in the walk of life; one we are born with, and the one we consciously blaze. One is naturally true, while the other is a perceptive illusion. Choose wisely at each fork in the road." ~ T.F. Hodge, From Within I Rise: Spiritual Triumph Over Death and Conscious Encounters with "The Divine Presence"
"They thought that it would be a disgrace to go forth as a group. Each entered the forest at a point that he himself had chosen, where it was the darkest and there was no path. If there is a path it is someone else's path and you are not on the adventure." ~ Joseph Campbell, The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell On His Life & Work
"When you find your path, you must ignore fear. You need to have the courage to risk mistakes. But once you are on that road...run, run, run, and don't stop til you've reached its end." ~ Jose N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love
"The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost. we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark." ~ Barbara Hall
My musings this week, as one can tell, has been about paths; expected and unexpected ones. Most of my life I have been consumed with "what to do". I wanted to be sure that I was on the "right" path for my life. So, naturally there have been many false starts, right starts, no starts; yet all of them have been "right" because all of them have been a part of my journey. As I awaited the doctor's call this past week, I was at peace because I knew that whatever the report, it was my journey. I was ready to walk down whichever path I was led. I would say to anyone that I was fine no matter what. The thing is that I really meant and mean that. (My only concern was my youngest daughter's upcoming wedding. I didn't want her mind on anything except her wedding). Whatever the doctor said would be the same for me. Malignant or benign would be equal. The doctor called me on Tuesday, January the 19th and said the calcifications were benign. I thanked her and gave the news to my coworkers who were overjoyed. So were my family and friends. I felt tremendous love and relief from everyone and I am grateful for all prayers, well wishes and thoughts.
Even though any news had emotional equanimity, I thought about what I wanted to do with my life in the event the report said malignancy. I felt, because there were so many and the breast was already smaller than the other, that it would probably demand a mastectomy and chemo this time. I began to ponder what was truly important in my life; perhaps that is the point of all of this. I want to experience living life fully; being totally in the moment, whether washing dishes or discovering a cure for cancer. I wish to embrace each second as sacred because it is. Yet I still want to answer the longings of my heart and heed the cries of my soul. Gautama Buddha said, "If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." Selah!
What's important to me? What do I really desire? What's important to any of us? Do many of us take the the time to ask that question and wait for a response? Are we afraid of what the answer may be?Are we afraid of where it might lead us OR from what it might take us? Family and loved ones are always important to us, without question but what is hidden in your soul? What are your dreams? Where do you wish life to take you? Maybe you're already there. There is sacredness and fulfillment in every day living. I know this to be true yet my soul still cries for "else". Sarah Ban Breathnach has a book called "Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self". I read that and her first book, "Simple Abundance" in the 90's. She was one of the first authors that I encountered on my "search for self". I know myself better today than I did then yet I am constantly evolving into the person I was born to be. So I guess I can say I know me at this stage of my life, the now me. I am still excavating the authentic Michelle Marie.
It is my desire to live in a higher state of consciousness than I have previously. I'm always working on myself. Sometimes I don't like what I see but I look at it directly. It can't leave if I ignore it. "This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." ~ William Shakespeare We must ask ourselves the hard questions. We must explore the attics and basements of this house that we inhabit. W e must dig deeper and deeper in order to know ourselves fully so that we may "be" ourselves.
There is always something that triggers a change in our lives: illness, divorce, death of loved ones, birth, marriage, loss of income, etc. Something happens that gives us pause; that makes us rethink where we are headed. This is the second time that the threat of cancer has caused me to take a look at this temple in which I live. I need to honor it more than I have. It's like a pet really. It needs to be fed, exercised and loved. Sometimes we treat others better than we do ourselves. Exercising the mind and nourishing my spirit is equally important. I've been quiet in my spirit since the doctor called on Tuesday. I am contemplating and meditating on what's next for me. I believe that this was a wake up call for me to, well, wake up! This quest for me is never ending and I'm glad. Wherever I am led on this journey, this path of life, I hope to embrace it with all that I am and all that I have. The point is to embark.
Until next Sunday,
Merry pat and merry meet again,
Blessed be!,
Gypsi Mama Michelle
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Richmond,VA
Merry meet Friends!
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"What you deny or ignore, you delay. What you accept and face, you conquer." ~ www.livelifehappy,com
"Bring acceptance into your nonacceptance. Bring surrender into your nonsurrender. Then see what happens." ~ Eckhart Tolle
"Accept the situation for exactly what it is instead of trying to manipulate it into what you think it needs to be." ~ unknown
"Acceptance is having the faith, despite the circumstances, that all is well." ~ confidential coaching
"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. ~ Lao Tzu
I shared last Sunday that I would be having a biopsy on Friday, the 15th due to an increase in calcifications in the same breast. I had the biopsy as scheduled. The nurse said that I would get the results in three business days but the doctor said I would know on Monday evening. I can say this with absolute certainty: NO MATTER THE OUTCOME, I AM FINE! I am whole and healed which is our divine right. None of us knows the what or why of things happening in our lives. We can and do make plans; sometimes they come to fruition and sometimes they don't. Life is full of changes as Lao Tzu said in the above quote. We can resist or we can let things flow.
This morning I heard the news that the Pastor who first ordained me had made his transition on last evening. He ordained me before I attended seminary. I knew he was going to do so before the head elder told me. He and I had a connection and we seemed to know each other's thoughts. We read many of the same books and would discuss our thoughts. Before I became a member of his church and once I knew my time was up, I spoke with him. He said that he knew I had not come to stay. We were both sad.
Life is so uncertain, with its ups and downs, twists and turns, peaks and valleys. We can change some things and some others we can not. I realize that it is hard to accept certain things. We would rather that "the thing", whatever it might be had not happened. I'm discovering in my own life that sometimes it is "the thing", that makes us stronger, more compassionate, more loving. We are all on a journey. We may take different paths and end up in different places but the journey is the same. We all walk it alone. That's not saying that people aren't with us on the path at times but we still walk it alone. Ultimately the journey is ours and ours alone.
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again!
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama Michelle
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"What you deny or ignore, you delay. What you accept and face, you conquer." ~ www.livelifehappy,com
"Bring acceptance into your nonacceptance. Bring surrender into your nonsurrender. Then see what happens." ~ Eckhart Tolle
"Accept the situation for exactly what it is instead of trying to manipulate it into what you think it needs to be." ~ unknown
"Acceptance is having the faith, despite the circumstances, that all is well." ~ confidential coaching
"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. ~ Lao Tzu
I shared last Sunday that I would be having a biopsy on Friday, the 15th due to an increase in calcifications in the same breast. I had the biopsy as scheduled. The nurse said that I would get the results in three business days but the doctor said I would know on Monday evening. I can say this with absolute certainty: NO MATTER THE OUTCOME, I AM FINE! I am whole and healed which is our divine right. None of us knows the what or why of things happening in our lives. We can and do make plans; sometimes they come to fruition and sometimes they don't. Life is full of changes as Lao Tzu said in the above quote. We can resist or we can let things flow.
This morning I heard the news that the Pastor who first ordained me had made his transition on last evening. He ordained me before I attended seminary. I knew he was going to do so before the head elder told me. He and I had a connection and we seemed to know each other's thoughts. We read many of the same books and would discuss our thoughts. Before I became a member of his church and once I knew my time was up, I spoke with him. He said that he knew I had not come to stay. We were both sad.
Life is so uncertain, with its ups and downs, twists and turns, peaks and valleys. We can change some things and some others we can not. I realize that it is hard to accept certain things. We would rather that "the thing", whatever it might be had not happened. I'm discovering in my own life that sometimes it is "the thing", that makes us stronger, more compassionate, more loving. We are all on a journey. We may take different paths and end up in different places but the journey is the same. We all walk it alone. That's not saying that people aren't with us on the path at times but we still walk it alone. Ultimately the journey is ours and ours alone.
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again!
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama Michelle
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Richmond, VA
Merry meet Friends!
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"..this, I believe, is the crucial question upon which all creative living hinges: Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?,,,I...believe we are all walking repositories of buried treasure. I believe this is one of the oldest and most generous tricks the universe plays on us human beings,,,The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them, The hunt to uncover those jewels - that's creative living." ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magi (courtesy of One Spirit Interfaith Seminary)
"You matter.You are important. There is a reason for your existence. You may not see or understand how this is true, but truth doesn't cease to be truth because of doubt, blindness, or ignorance.
And the truth is -- you matter." ~ Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings for Every Day of the Year
"We each carry with us unique gifts, recognized and unrecognized. We long to harness those gifts in a way that gives life significance and helps us to matter more in the lives of others." ~ Tom Hayes
"A little porch light from a distant farmhouse dimmed, feeling alone and unneeded until his smallest spark of illumination snuffed out entirely. The night fell as dark as it was quiet. Meanwhile, every secret eye within the vicinity ~ from insect to animal to human wanderer ~ stopped to blink, suddenly blinded. Their guiding light had vanished, extinguishing hope in the hearts of many. That little light had mattered, but he knew it not." ~ Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings for Every Day of the Year
Happy New Year! I hope the New Year and the New Moon on last night had everyone setting intentions for the remainder of the year. I wish prosperity, peace, joy, love, divine health, abundance and laughter to you all.
My oldest son is a recovering drug addict. He's clean today; I can say that each day that he is. He has said to me on more than one occasion and most recently this week, that he wants to do something of which I can be proud. He was very sentimental and speaking about how proud he is of his sisters and brother. He shared that there was something he always wanted to do; something that I could point to and say: That's my son. I told him that I am equally as proud of him as I am the others. To quote a hymn: "Each victory will help you some other to win". I went on to tell him that it wasn't too late for him to do the thing he wanted to do. Age is not a factor in everything. I want him to do whatever for himself, not for me.
Later that night I spoke with him again and recounted something out of "Conversations With God" by Neale Donald Walsch. Neale, in conversation with God, asked God about a person's life amounting to nothing. God gave this reply: If a person has basically done "nothing" (quotations mine) with his life and then at 70 writes a sonnet that influences and inspires multitudes, has his life amounted to nothing? I, personally, believe that all of us matter. Perhaps it is what an individual experiences, that appears as nothing, that creates the sonnet, the book, the art, the musical masterpiece. I heard new life in my son's voice after I shared that with him. It is still up to him, as it is with us all, to renew his mind and discover the gifts within. No matter how small and insignificant we think we are, we all have gifts and a purpose. We don't always know whose lives we touch.
On December 22, 2015, I celebrated 65 years of living on this plane. I often say to myself that I am not "doing" anything to make my children proud of me.Maybe we all at times have a comparison complex. We look at others lives and compare them to our own. We don't know that person's journey and what it took for them to get where they are. Perhaps if we focus on "being" who we are, we would fare better. What is the world waiting for you to create? It's not always something that will make one famous. Perhaps it's a safe haven for your family or warm meals for neighbors. I don't know but I do believe it is up to each of us to find it and give it.
As you know, I am a breast cancer survivor. Every 6 months I have a mammogram. I had one in June, 2015 and I had another on January 4, 2016. The doctor came in to see me and shared that I needed to have another biopsy of the same breast. The reason is that, there are calcifications which have increased since June. Most are benign but since the cancer that was removed in 2013 was a calcification, a biopsy is needed. Better safe than sorry. The biopsy is Friday, January 15th. I, of course, don't know what the outcome will be, I just know that I am fine regardless. I do know that I wish to discover more fully the gifts given me by Spirit and act on them. Will you do the same? Let your consciousness be saturated with the truth that YOU MATTER! You always have and you always will.
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again!
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama Michelle
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"..this, I believe, is the crucial question upon which all creative living hinges: Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?,,,I...believe we are all walking repositories of buried treasure. I believe this is one of the oldest and most generous tricks the universe plays on us human beings,,,The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them, The hunt to uncover those jewels - that's creative living." ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magi (courtesy of One Spirit Interfaith Seminary)
"You matter.You are important. There is a reason for your existence. You may not see or understand how this is true, but truth doesn't cease to be truth because of doubt, blindness, or ignorance.
And the truth is -- you matter." ~ Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings for Every Day of the Year
"We each carry with us unique gifts, recognized and unrecognized. We long to harness those gifts in a way that gives life significance and helps us to matter more in the lives of others." ~ Tom Hayes
"A little porch light from a distant farmhouse dimmed, feeling alone and unneeded until his smallest spark of illumination snuffed out entirely. The night fell as dark as it was quiet. Meanwhile, every secret eye within the vicinity ~ from insect to animal to human wanderer ~ stopped to blink, suddenly blinded. Their guiding light had vanished, extinguishing hope in the hearts of many. That little light had mattered, but he knew it not." ~ Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings for Every Day of the Year
Happy New Year! I hope the New Year and the New Moon on last night had everyone setting intentions for the remainder of the year. I wish prosperity, peace, joy, love, divine health, abundance and laughter to you all.
My oldest son is a recovering drug addict. He's clean today; I can say that each day that he is. He has said to me on more than one occasion and most recently this week, that he wants to do something of which I can be proud. He was very sentimental and speaking about how proud he is of his sisters and brother. He shared that there was something he always wanted to do; something that I could point to and say: That's my son. I told him that I am equally as proud of him as I am the others. To quote a hymn: "Each victory will help you some other to win". I went on to tell him that it wasn't too late for him to do the thing he wanted to do. Age is not a factor in everything. I want him to do whatever for himself, not for me.
Later that night I spoke with him again and recounted something out of "Conversations With God" by Neale Donald Walsch. Neale, in conversation with God, asked God about a person's life amounting to nothing. God gave this reply: If a person has basically done "nothing" (quotations mine) with his life and then at 70 writes a sonnet that influences and inspires multitudes, has his life amounted to nothing? I, personally, believe that all of us matter. Perhaps it is what an individual experiences, that appears as nothing, that creates the sonnet, the book, the art, the musical masterpiece. I heard new life in my son's voice after I shared that with him. It is still up to him, as it is with us all, to renew his mind and discover the gifts within. No matter how small and insignificant we think we are, we all have gifts and a purpose. We don't always know whose lives we touch.
On December 22, 2015, I celebrated 65 years of living on this plane. I often say to myself that I am not "doing" anything to make my children proud of me.Maybe we all at times have a comparison complex. We look at others lives and compare them to our own. We don't know that person's journey and what it took for them to get where they are. Perhaps if we focus on "being" who we are, we would fare better. What is the world waiting for you to create? It's not always something that will make one famous. Perhaps it's a safe haven for your family or warm meals for neighbors. I don't know but I do believe it is up to each of us to find it and give it.
As you know, I am a breast cancer survivor. Every 6 months I have a mammogram. I had one in June, 2015 and I had another on January 4, 2016. The doctor came in to see me and shared that I needed to have another biopsy of the same breast. The reason is that, there are calcifications which have increased since June. Most are benign but since the cancer that was removed in 2013 was a calcification, a biopsy is needed. Better safe than sorry. The biopsy is Friday, January 15th. I, of course, don't know what the outcome will be, I just know that I am fine regardless. I do know that I wish to discover more fully the gifts given me by Spirit and act on them. Will you do the same? Let your consciousness be saturated with the truth that YOU MATTER! You always have and you always will.
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again!
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama Michelle
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