Saturday, January 22, 2011

RAAAASPBERRIES ! ! !

Capturing the Thrill

Life is too short to exist in boredom, so we are called to celebrate and do something that excites us and renews our outlook on life.

Each human life has the potential to be dramatic, thrilling, and awe-inspiring. Our lives are, in fact, ours to design.

Each day, we make choices that influence the character of our experiences, and our decisions determine whether our paths are rousing or tedious, breathtaking or tiresome, altruistic or self serving.

We can create an exciting life by simply doing what excites us whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Our passions may ebb and flow, and what excites us one year may not excite us the next, but when we make excitement a regular part of our existence, life becomes more fun and more fulfilling.

If we are one who tends to live practically, excitement may overwhelm us at first.

To ease the anxiety that might prevent us from incorporating all that we find exciting into our life, we must acknowledge that we are alive right now in this time and every moment matters.

Raspberries.

When we choose to do more of what excites us, even if our choices require us to make certain sacrifices, our daily life might soon be imbued with exhilaration, pleasure, and optimistic anticipation.

To understand what excites us, we may need to observe and ponder our reaction to the activities, events, circumstances, and concepts that actually make up our life.

What makes our pulse race?

What makes us want to get out of bed and take action?

What makes us need to forge ahead and provide for who we love?

Raspberries!

It is important that we do not allow ourselves to become too wrapped up in life’s details,

The tedium of non-essential day to day existence may us to plod through our existence unaware of prospective excitement.

Once we have created a substantial list of what excites us, we can find ways to integrate each item into our routine and celebrate them.

Raspberries.

We can then seek to find ourselves riding a wave of excitement that lifts us up and makes our life truly worth living.

So, the question is; What excites us in our life?

What is it that we actually want?

Is it The Impossible Dream?

Are we chasing Windmills?

The answer is right in front of us.

When it comes to the things we want, there always seems to be an endless list.

No matter how many times we get something off that list, we add new things to replace it.

In life, this drama of wanting and getting and wanting is all part of the dance.

The things we want motivate us to get up and out of bed and get them.

And yet, at the same time, we can torment ourselves with our wanting, especially when we want something we can’t have or can’t find.

It is in cases like these that it might be fruitful to entertain the idea that maybe what we really want is right in front of us.

Perhaps because we are lead by desire, which we often can't fulfill, we become distracted from truly engaging the blessings we already have.

Raspberries.

It may seem like this does not make sense, yet we do this all the time, and we suffer because of what we do.

It may be easier to see in other people than to see in ourselves.

We have all heard our friends wishing they were more this or less that.

Looking at them, we clearly see that they are everything they have always wished they were.

And we are each the same.

We actually are who and what we want to be, we just haven't had that "Raspberry" moment.

We know people who have wonderful partners and yet envy ours.

We wish we could give these people a look at their situations from our perspective so that they could see that what they want, who they truly love, really is right in front of them.

So, it is not too far-fetched to consider that we might be victims of the same folly.

It can be scary to have what we want.

We become caught up in the chase and forget to enjoy the beauty right in front of us, like a child who never wants the toy she has in her hand but always the one just out of her reach.

Raspberries.

Take a moment today to consider the many things you are holding in the palm of your hand and how you might best love and appreciate them.

Now, I'll explain "Raspberries" by asking you to view this little clip, which I have viewed well over 30 times before composing this post.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6g929abIrs


With much love ans many raspberries to you,

Rob

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Angels Surround Us

Working With Angels ...

Angels surround us, and there is a reason that we sometime confuse the spelling of "angels" with "angles".

Perhaps Angels do have angles in our lives.

I believe that Angels often need to use angles in order to straighten and guide our paths in life.

Angels are symbols of grace and gentle encouragement.

They offer us comfort as they enfold us or envelope us in their wings.

At some point in our lives, we are likely to find ourselves asking for help, perhaps from no one in particular, and without knowing where help could possibly come from. We may raise our eyes skyward or whisper our need beneath our breath in prayer, only to find that somehow we have been heard, and the help we need arrives.

The answer to our prayer might come in the form of a person who appears at the right time, or perhaps in the form of luck, chance, or divine intervention.

However assistance appears, these are times when we can be certain that there are angels watching over us.

We may find ourselves asking for their help with simple things like finding a parking spot or asking to watch over loved ones, but then we forget to call on them when we found ourselves alone or in pain.

And that's okay. We are called to look after others, and therefor for others to look after us in kind.

We don't need to be aware of the answer to our prayers for the assistance of others, but there is comfort in the knowledge that they are there for us when we need them.

And, when we remain open to their presence, we can call on them whenever we need to connect and be nurtured by their ethereal and heavenly energy.

As symbols of grace and gentle encouragement, we offer each other comfort as we warm ourselves in the wings of our Spirit as we take flight.

As we are warmed by the gentleness and comfort of our wings, our warming hugs, we are also guided by our mutual care in the form of gentle nudges or inspired by the whispers in our ears.

We may hear the voice of our angel and feel a personal connection, but it isn't necessary. All we need is to be heard, to benefit from their guidance and perhaps to hear a word of thanks sent from us to God every now and then.

Whether they appear in the guise of a helpful stranger, or as a thought that suddenly occurs to us, angels are our loving guides from the spiritual realm, who with a brush of their angelic wings help us to make the most of our human experience by balancing it with the spiritual awareness that all things are possible and that we are not alone.

Angels are around us each and every day and night, and they are those whom not only do we love, but they are those who love us.

Feel the warmth of Love & Light!

Blessings,

Rob

Monday, January 17, 2011

The Treasure of Friendship

Letters from the Heart

Sometimes it’s hard to come right out and tell our friends how much we love and appreciate them.

We might feel awkward expressing deep feelings, even to our nearest and dearest, because it is not always a common practice. Sometimes we find it difficult to say "I love you" to those whom we love the most.

We might become choked up or embarrassed in the process, or we might fear we will embarrass them.

None the less, we all have these moments when we realize how fortunate we are to have the friends we have, and have had, and we may long to express our gratitude.

Moreover, it may be of tremendous benefit to our friends to be at the receiving end of our appreciation.

At times like these, writing a letter can help us say what we want to say without feeling self-conscious. Additionally, a letter gives our friends the space to truly take in our expression of love and the gift of being able to return to it time and again.

Facebook has been an evangelist of sorts, bringing together friends from times otherwise gone by.

I just recently reconnected with a dear friend whom I admired and respected from my High School days.

I loved him, and still do.

I respected him, and still do.

I looked up to him, and I owe him a debt of gratitude.

We have always shared our annual Christmas Cards, but Facebook has brought us a bit closer.

I recall my days as a senior in High School when my friend was studying medicine in Spain. I would receive an Air Mail envelope with a note from him updating me on his life. Those letters meant the world to me as they came at a time when transcontinental communication was a big deal, and remaining in touch with him somewhat validated my existence.

Those letters remain in a box in my attic.

Those who know me well know that I like to hold on to important pieces of my past.

This one friend, whom I'm speaking of, brought me to the home of a dear friend, Mildred Olsen, one day while in my late teens. Mildred lived in a beautiful old home atop a hill on Staten Island.

She was a beautiful spirit and we knew her through volunteer work that we all contributed to at the March of Dimes.

As we drove up the hill and into the circular drive, Mildred stood out on her veranda, looked at me, and said "Rob".

Now, I had always been known as "Bobby", but Mildred decided that day that I should grow into the name "Rob".

And so I did.

So, Richard, Mildred & I sat on her veranda overlooking the Verrazano Narrows between the Hudson River and New York Harbor. We enjoyed mature conversation coupled with some red wine, cheese & fruit blintzes, and a history of the the homestead.

Meanwhile, I listened to the stories of her life and how she lived for others, and I learned much about Mildred and her care for others as I also learned much about Richard.

Mildred, as well as Richard, became a catalysts in the formation of my life, and I appreciate them tremendously.

I would not be whoever it is that I am today without them.

I wrote Richard for some time, and I wrote Mildred as well, but times changed and letter writing fell by the proverbial wayside.

Richard & I are now suddenly closer through Facebook, and many of my partner Frank's friends are closer with him now as well.

I wish that I could say the same of Mildred, Dolores, Lorraine, Timothy, Barbara, Susan, and oh so many others. However, my heart and my mind hold them near & dear in daily thoughts and prayers.

I have recently collected differnt writing papers and notecards in hope that I will return to handwritten correspondence.

I would ask that we do the same and return to handwritten notes, while maintaining contact online, no matter how brief the notes may be, and that we keep a special place at which to do so and a special pen with which to write, allowing just a special moment to express our care for each other as a person.

As we sit to write to our friend, we might take a moment to consider the qualities we most value in our friendship and recall that.

That is, in fact, prayer. Prayer only takes a moment. A fleeting thought in our mind is an eternity in God's appreciation of our care and concern for one another.

There is no wrong and no shame in telling someone how important she or he was or is to us.

It might be the simple, fun reality that we always laughed together, enjoyed particular music, or just had fun in general.

It might also be that we knew how to share compassion, understanding, and held open hearts.

It could be both.

It could be all.

When we communicate, we listen with compassionate understanding and we feel safe enough to confess the deepest of our worst problems.

No matter the path, we always leave a conversation with a friend feeling better about everything and we hold a more realistic understanding of the true love that we've held for years.

Perhaps the new ideas and experiences we’ve been exposed to throughout the course of our friendship energize and invigorate us.

Either way, our valued friendships are treasures to be held in mystery, dreamed and fantasized about, and mapped in our hearts to be mined for eternity, such as the the golden riches they are.

Letters, which used to be somewhat common, are now as rare as treasure maps.

A handwritten letter makes a wonderful gift to be treasured always.

We might simply send it or hand deliver it out of the blue.

Whatever we choose, our letter will no doubt be received and treasured with a grateful heart.

So, please send someone a random note of love & kindness ... even if you don't know them!

I can only wish this was hand written to each of you in ink, but I trust that the ink of my heartfelt words pulses through your veins as the love I hold for each of you invigorates my heart.

I love you all, and I wish you the treasure hunt of a lifetime, fully knowing that if we think of one another for only a moment, God holds us eternally.

With love & light,

Rob