??????

Peace be with you

Happy New Year!!!

Happy Happy New Year!!!! It has been a great year and I have so much to be thankful for.

Namaste,

Michele

Creator teach me
compassion
forgiveness and
selflessness

May my journey
be one of
Honor and Respect

May I always follow my heart
without regret

Allow my spirit to see the beauty
to believe with innocence

To create new hope where there is none
and to always follow the beckoning call
of Great Spirit- whispering from above.

Peace

A Pledge of Peace

by Judith Fein

There’s this organ in the middle of my chest that obliges me every second of every day by beating. It can be wounded, disarmed and stunned, but it keeps on doing its job. And it only asks me for one thing in return: “stay open,” it whispers. “Just stay open.”

Maybe at one point in time it was a real effort. I think I recall suspicions I harbored and some swirling fears. But, over the years, my heart does its job and I do mine. It beats, I stay open. Not all the time—because there are hurts that catch me off guard and cause me to recoil—but, as a rule, I stay exposed in life.

The risk, as you can imagine, is pain. The reward is pleasure, connection, and the ability to feel freely. I have weighed risk and reward and come down on the side of the latter.

My heart and I have traveled widely, and when someone asks me what my favorite country is I generally answer, “the last one I visited.” I am moved by the generosity, quirkiness and depth of the people I meet on the road. I love their cultures and customs and the unique way they navigate life.

Then I come home. I start reading newspapers and, on the elliptical trainer at the gym, watching the news on T.V. Then I see old and new friends, and engage in conversation. It all feels so….polarized. The Tea Party is this. The Iranians are that. The Saudis are thus and so are the Republicans. Or Democrats. Or Greens. North Korea bad, South Korea good. And how about those Cubs? Life is a sports match and everyone is rooting for his team. I check in with my heart and it is screaming, “Don’t give in to this. Stay open.”

How do I stay open? I certainly see that there is violence, mayhem, crookery and deceit all around me. But, by and large, it’s committed by individual people, not by everyone in a group. If I condemn a group, I cut up peoples’ uniqueness and dump them all in the same stew. And, as they simmer in that stew, they get harder and less digestible.

I suppose you could say that the cycle of hatred is created and maintained by attack and counterattack. I vilify you for doing something and you, feeling vilified, attack me back. Then I, angry, attack you. You, enraged, lash out at me. And we feud on and on and on. There is no more dialogue. There is reaction and counter-reaction.

“Don’t fall for that. Stay open,” my heart urges me, and I suspect that, as usual, my heart is right. I solve nothing by engaging in the blame game. I also learn nothing. I reduce your group to labels and adjectives and you do the same to mine.

I have no illusions that I will change the world or stop people from demonizing each other. But I can do something small that satisfies my own heart: I can refuse to engage in hateful language about groups of people in my own country or in countries abroad.

I can take a pledge of non-polarization.

I will not divide the world up into good and bad. I will not wipe out whole groups by declaring them bad or worthless. I will not assume that what they think and the way they behave are insane or evil. I will give them the benefit of the doubt—that they are reacting to something, entrenched or angry because something happened to them or they fear something will happen to them. I will try to understand what it is.

I will not condone behaviors like war, violence, rape, or cruelty. I will fight against them any way I can. But I will not condemn the way groups of people think, even if it is radically different from the way I think. They are as entitled to their beliefs as I am to mine.

I can be angry with and disappointed in individuals. I can choose not to engage with them or make them part of my life. But I will try, to the best of my ability, not to add to the polarization on our planet by verbally vilifying groups that are not mine. A terrorist to some is a freedom fighter to others. I will try to understand.

I will obey the request of my heart.

Exit

Friendship

"It takes a long time to grow an old friend." - by John Leonard

Love

Well.....I got called-off for Christmas eve.....so the whole family went to the hospital to deliver the blankets and pillowcases.

Have a great day!!!!!

Namaste,

Michele


"Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way,ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future."

~Deepak Chopra~

This truly fascinates me!!!

I am not making fun of this.....this is a very different vibration....and I am fascinated with this!

Merry Christmas

Marko playing a Christmas song with his teacher, Bud Preston.

Merry Christmas!!!

Namaste,

Michele

Let There be Peace on Earth!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

We had our annual dinner at House of Hunan last night with my parents.....the kids love this night and so do I....

Namaste,

Michele

‎"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys."
— Charles Dickens

Get even with everybody who shows you kindness, compassion and love. Get even with everybody who has been kinder than you deserved.

Chelsea Cares Inc. Rocks!!!!

Chelsea Cares Inc. rocks!!!!
They donated a ton of fleece blankets and Christmas pillowcases to the kid's psychiatric unit that I work on. I am bringing them to work tomorrow for the kids to have for Christmas!!!
What a wonderful organization. You can read about the organization by clicking the link below!!!


www.chelseacares4kids.org


Merry Christmas!!!!
Namaste,
Michele

Happy Day!!!!

Love

Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, & just see what happens.

- Sex and the City Quote

Faith

Dusty (our dog) wants this for Christmas, but I can't find it anywhere!
I hope you enjoy the words below!!
Namaste,
Michele


"If you knew who walked beside you at all times, on the path that you have chosen, you could never experience fear or doubt again."

-Wayne Dyer

The Family

Picture by Lisasimages.com

‎"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together."

-Erma Bombeck

In the spirit!!!

Thursday was a fun day!!! Mark and I got to go to Marko's Christmas party then to his 4th grade Christmas concert....He had a special reading part.
Hope you have a great day and enjoy the words below.....one of my favorites.
Namaste,
Michele

1. The version found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

-this version is credited to Mother Teresa

Do it anyway!!!

Mira at Dance :)







People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.


© Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001

Do Good!!!

DO NO HARM.

Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you.

Do not lie.

Do not steal.

Do not cheat.

Do not falsely accuse others.

Do not commit adultery.

Do not commit incest.

Do not physically or verbally abuse others.

Do not murder.

Do not destroy the natural environment upon which all life depends.


DO GOOD.

Do to others what you would like them to do to you.

Be honest and fair.

Be generous.

Be faithful to your family and friends.

Take care of your children when they are young.

Take care of your parents when they are old.

Take care of those who cannot take care of themselves.

Be kind to strangers.

Respect all life.

Protect the natural environment upon which all life depends.

© Copyright Kent M. Keith 2003, 2005

Scratch it!!!

I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches.

~Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Amazing!!!

Life

Friend Cassie is always smiling. :)

“Live life as a work of art, rather than as a chaotic response to external events.”

- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Peace and Love

So happiness - isn't that the thing that all of us strive to find and keep?
Nobody is happy all of the time, but some people are definitely more fulfilled
than others. Studies on what makes people happy, reveal that it doesn't have much
to do with material goods or high achievement; it seems to whittle down to your
outlook on life, and the quality of your relationships with the people around
you.

If you appreciate your life you are sure to be a happy person!

My 2010 Wish List

The below wish list is written by Liz Schmidt....highschool freshman and indigo child!!!!




Dear Santa,
This year, 2010, I want fuzzy socks. Actually I want something else, something I would trade all the fuzzy socks in the universe for. I want world peace. When I say world peace I don’t only mean that there is no fighting, although that is certainly part of it. I want a world were there is no suffering. I want a world in which anyone can follow their dreams, were children can choose the future they want. I want world in which everyone has clean water, enough food to eat, and a roof over their head if they want one; a world that doesn’t have land mines were people live; one in which there are no bombings or killings. I want a world without child soldiers and without sex trades and rape. A world were people don’t suffer and die in streets because there is no one to help them. I want a world that is free of slaves and oppression. A world in which instead of slaughtering and exploiting each other we work towards a better future for our friends, family, neighbors, and decedents; one in which differences are cherished, or at least tolerated, instead of a reason to ravage what we don’t understand. I want a world were there are no drugs to destroy lives, families, and entire nations. A world were people aren’t abused by their loved ones. I want a world that is not destroyed by its own inhabitants, were we nurture the Earth instead of scar it; a world that animals aren’t abused and tortured in. A world in which there is no theft, murder, or bribery simply because there is no motivation for it. I want a world were instead of bickering over power and money we face the problems we, as a people, have created.
One of my friends said, just last week, said that there would never be world peace as long as there was free will. Well Santa, I’ve though about this quite a bit and I want to know, why can’t there be world peace? We have built huge cities, skyscrapers, plumbing systems, electric grids, computers, telephones, vehicles, ships, airplanes! We have even sent people to the moon! If we can create atomic bombs and overcome the law of gravity then why can’t we give food to hungry people or teach children how to read? Why can’t we stop investing billions of dollars in weapons and start using it to pay for what is really needed in the world. Some people say we can’t stop hurting everyone else because then everyone else will turn around and hurt us, but what if everyone stopped? Sometimes as a joke I’ll tell someone, “Come on now, world peace has to start with us.” But the truth is I’m not joking. Peace really does start at the most basic level, everyday life. There is no reason why we can’t just have some respect for each other. There is nothing hard about being civil to your classmate, relative, or just some random stranger. In fact, there is no reason why we can’t go as far as to reach out and help these people when they need it. If we don’t want to do anything for someone else then why would they want to do something for us? In reality we’re really not that different from each other anyways. Everyone laughs, cries, loves, and hurts. Can you imagine how wonderful the world would be if everyone just has some respect for the people in their vicinity? I would say I have free will for the most part, and I’m not at war with anyone. Even if I don’t have free will I don’t know it so it doesn’t matter to me!
So now Santa, you’re asking, “Yes, but even if we respect each other how are we going to solve the worlds problems?” Well, part of respecting other individuals means that you don’t exploit them so that would solve most of the issues surrounding crime, oppression, and corruption. But beside that, what is stopping us? Anyone reading this letter has access to a computer. That means they have the money to buy a computer or someone who loves them enough to give them one. If they, or their family, have enough money to buy a computer than they probably have enough money to live on. If they don’t, they should start spending their money on stuff they really need. Look, we have been gifted with opportunities and resources. By conservative estimates, the United States wastes enough food everyday to fill the Rose Bowl. Why can’t we somehow find a way feed starving children instead of filling up our land fills? Not only can we change the world, we should change it. If we are going to live on this Earth we should make it better, not only for other but also for ourselves. Humans have created the world’s situation, and we can alter or undo it. Besides, the world we live in now is the one our predecessors have fashioned, there is nothing stopping us from fashioning our own. As individuals, communities, nations, and the entire population of the Earth we can fix everything wrong with the way the world is today. Please Santa, I will ask for this every year until I get it. I really think world peace is possible and that it should be achieved. I keep thinking of the song by John Lennon (no, I am not a hippy) that has the line, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” If enough of us care then anything can be achieved.
Lots of Love,
A Believer

The gift of overlooking

The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.
- William James

Peace on Earth!!!

“LIFE is a mosaic of pleasure and pain - grief is an interval between two
moments of joy. Peace is the interlude between two wars. You have no rose
without a thorn; the diligent picker will avoid the pricks and gather the
flower. There is no bee without the sting; cleverness consists in gathering
the honey nevertheless.”

Sai baba

Coincidences

“How do you know which of your intentions is likely to be fulfilled? The answer lies in paying attention to the clues provided by the nonlocal mind. Notice the coincidences in your life. Coincidences are messages. They are clues from God or spirit or nonlocal reality, urging you to break out of your karmic conditioning, your familiar patterns of thinking. They are offering you an opportunity to enter a domain of awareness where you feel loved and cared for by the infinite intelligence that is your source. Spiritual traditions call this the state of grace."
~Deepak Chopra

Smile!

I got to make some wine with my parents at the Wine Cellar.
It was fun!!!!
I hope you enjoy the words below!!!
Namaste,
Michele


"The soul is not found in a religion; it's found in a relationship. The
rules will never heal us."
William Paul Young

Wow!!!

It’s a popular fact that 90 percent of the brain is not used and, like most
popular facts, it is wrong…It is used. One of its functions is to make the
miraculous seem ordinary, to turn the unusual into the usual. Otherwise
human beings, faced with the daily wondrousness of everything would go
around wearing a stupid grin saying, “Wow,” a lot. Part of the brain exists
to stop this from happening. It is very efficient, and can make people
experience boredom in the middle of marvels. — Terry Pratchett

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!

Today is my dad's 71st Birthday....Happy Birthday Dad!!!!
Love,
Michele


"You'll encounter many obstacles along the road to living your dreams. Some obstacles may be real, some imagined, some may be tangible, and some may be intangible. Some of those obstacles will be created by others, and some will be self-imposed. However they manifest, you will always be given the choice as to whether you give them power."
~Francine Ward

HoPpY HoLiDaYs!!!!!

Opeing to Spirit

Letting Go