Today I looked at the expanse of the blue sky and imagined myself an eagle flying from one end of heaven to the other. What a beautiful world we live in. And how fortunate we are to live in America. We are free to pursue happiness, free to know God, free to make something of our lives. We have so many gifts from life. Why sit inside and ponder our problems, when you can take a walk in the afternoon sun and smell the roses and count the daffodils in your neighbor's yard. There are so many worlds just outside our window. We ponder the past, we fume over the present, we don't want to continue in the same vein every day of our lives. We complain about our jobs, when they provide us with the means we need to live. That isn't so bad. Without a job, we'd all be living in the streets.
There was something passed around one day at work, many years ago, about looking for answers to problems instead of being a part of the problem. If we engage out jobs, look for ways to be creative, even our distasteful jobs can be blessings too.
I haven't worked for 16 years. My husband took a position that would enable him to make enough for us to live on, and I was allowed to take an early out as a result of that decision. He has gone to work for 16 additional years and I've been free to do as I please. Although I get up every day and make his lunch and send him off to work, I am free for the rest of the day to do as I please, and I must say I have not made the best use of my time. But that has changed. I've found the energy I need to make my home a very peaceful place. Of course, when the grandchildren are here and all the game machines are on and there are pots and pans flying in the kitchen to make food for everyone, the peace is thinly stretched. But on the other hand, what a blessing that they WANT to be here. They live with their other Grandparents and Mom and they have a pool and a big house and all the toys you could imagine. We live in a manufactured home, we have a community pool, and we have little yard to speak of. But they absolutely love it here. My oldest Grandson at the age of 9 came to visit one day and he tole me "Grandma, I don't know what it is here, but it's AWESOME! It's the spirit of love. The Tao, God, whatever you choose to call it, it is real and it abides here in our hearts and minds and is a part of who we are and the spirit of our home is relaxed and comfortable. You are free here to be who you are, who you wish to be.
It is sad that some folks work 4 and 5 jobs to make lots of money to buy lots of things, but still they are not happy. It isn't in your possessions that you find joy. It is within your own soul and heart and mind. Jesus is always available to the wounded in life....always there to comfort to guide and to bless. But if you don't believe in Him and have found another path to your peace, you are also free to pursue that. Whatever gives you peace, you will find it in the acceptance here. We accept all people, of all colors, all beliefs, all lifestyles. We are open hearted, free spirited, and interested in every detail of life. It is a beautiful experience every day to see my roses and my Plumbago bush that has overtaken the yard, the jasmine growing up the front of the house and the rose garden my husband planted for me. It is a joy to greet my family and to realize I have one of the greatest gifts a loving God could ever give. A beautiful big family of my own. There are 14 of us counting all the grandchildren. If we include the other Grandma's and Grandpa's there are 18 of us. One year we had a family reunion and my sister and her daughter were here with her little boy and little girl and her husband. It was packed, but all the children played together like they'd always seen and been around one another. It was heaven. There was no huge table laid out in fine array with many dishes, just the simple fare of those who grew up on things I could coerce them into eating. They ate, they visited, we had a party, and we took pictures and blew up air mattresses for some of the family to sleep over....it was fun. That's something you'll find here as well. The freedom to just be. There is no rush to be anything else, to be somewhere else doing something other than living. You can run at a hectic pace all your life and never find peace. It is in the still moments, the expanse of Heaven, and the feeling of being free to fly like the huge eagles of my past. I hope you don't miss out on it while you are busy living. Take the time to stop, reflect on what it means to be free, and enjoy the expanse of heaven, the green meadows of an afternoon spent outdoors, and the freedom to worship as you please.
My wish for you is peace. I hope that you, in your many journeys, find the peace that waits at the end of the day for you, in your quiet moments of reverie before you fall asleep. Take time each day to just "be". You can call it meditation, prayer, introspection, whatever you choose to call it. But don't neglect your need of peace. It will sustain you in your everyday life and make life a joy that you would otherwise miss. Peace like a river flows through my soul...my life is filed with happiness and peace and I am truly blessed on planet earth. I wish you good fortune, good food, and an abundance of fun in your life. Otherwise, what's the living for?
Take care, find your peace, enjoy the moments of every hour. They are fleeting and only the memories go with you at journey's end. Gather them up like flowers in a basket and take them home with you.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Lemon Chicken & Pasta Salad
I made this dish up on the spur of the moment, and it came out great, so I thought I'd share it. The ingredients are listed below:
Bow-Tie Pasta
Canned Chicken in Lemon Sauce
Olive Oil (3 Caps full)
Lemon Juice (4 Caps full)
1 or 2 Teaspoons Malt Vinegar
1/2 White Onion Chopped fine
! cup Bloack Olives (cut in half)
1 cup Cherry Tomatoes (cut in half)
1/2 Large Red or Yellow Pepper (diced)
Garlic Salt (about 1/4 tsp.)
Chipotle Mrs. Dash (to your taste)
1 Tbsp. Chopped Dried Parsley
Bring large pan of water to a boil, and add pkg of bow-tie pasta. Stir frequently and boil for 10 minutes. Pour into colander and rinse with cold water.
Drain can of Lemon Chicken, break up into smaller pieces, add to pasta.
Add olive oil and stir to coat all pieces of pasta. Add Lemon Juice, Malt Vinegar, onion, black olives, cherry tomatoes, red or yellow pepper, garlic salt, Mrs. Dash, and dried parsley to mixture and toss well to coat.
Cover serving dish with Tin foil or Plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for a couple of hours. Serve with garlic bread sticks and raspberry iced tea for a refreshing lunch or light dinner.
(All Ingredients can be found at your local Walmart)
Enjoy!
Bonnie
Bow-Tie Pasta
Canned Chicken in Lemon Sauce
Olive Oil (3 Caps full)
Lemon Juice (4 Caps full)
1 or 2 Teaspoons Malt Vinegar
1/2 White Onion Chopped fine
! cup Bloack Olives (cut in half)
1 cup Cherry Tomatoes (cut in half)
1/2 Large Red or Yellow Pepper (diced)
Garlic Salt (about 1/4 tsp.)
Chipotle Mrs. Dash (to your taste)
1 Tbsp. Chopped Dried Parsley
Bring large pan of water to a boil, and add pkg of bow-tie pasta. Stir frequently and boil for 10 minutes. Pour into colander and rinse with cold water.
Drain can of Lemon Chicken, break up into smaller pieces, add to pasta.
Add olive oil and stir to coat all pieces of pasta. Add Lemon Juice, Malt Vinegar, onion, black olives, cherry tomatoes, red or yellow pepper, garlic salt, Mrs. Dash, and dried parsley to mixture and toss well to coat.
Cover serving dish with Tin foil or Plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for a couple of hours. Serve with garlic bread sticks and raspberry iced tea for a refreshing lunch or light dinner.
(All Ingredients can be found at your local Walmart)
Enjoy!
Bonnie
Friday, August 17, 2012
Things of Importance
There are many things in life that are important. First and foremost, you and your own happiness is essential. This may sound self-centered, but it is very true. If you don't take care of yourself, after you know how, who will? When you are a baby, people fuss and fume over you, cleaning you, dressing you, feeding you, and hopefully, loving you.
As you grow up you learn all these things and you take care of yourself. If you don't feel valued, you search for validation for your own self, and that my friend can be a long and tedious battle.
No one outside of yourself can validate you. You can look and look for acceptance and friendship and something that makes you feel worth while. But all the while you are empty. The days can be long and gray, without color, without joy, without hope. The search is never ending because we all want to matter to someone. People need people.
If you are a creature of habit, you repeat the same things in every new situation. You act the same, say the same things, and repeat your recorded messages to every new person you meet. These recorded messages are the pathways in the brain where you store your personality as it is built. You are a collection of things you've heard all your life and the things you have read and assimilated happenings of your whole life. All of who you are is stored in your brain and it is a lot to consider.
You are unique. There is no one else like you on planet earth. You are capable of many things. If you don't receive recognition as a child, sometimes you act out and throw tantrums. You can't do that as an adult, so best to get that out of your system as a child. Parent's who don't know how to deal with this, revert to spankings, and sending children to their rooms.....where they continue to rant and rave. You can't reason with a child, they don't understand. But if you wait till the tantrum is over, and then pick the child up and teach them how to use their "words" to express themselves, the breaking of day can dawn in that little child's life to give him control over himself.
One of our grandchildren is really good at throwing fits. At least he use to be. But our daughter was a Pre-School teacher and she knows how to deal with tantrums successfully. She taught him to use "his words". She'd tell him when he wound down that we don't understand the unintelligible wants he is trying to express and that he needed to use his "words". You'd be surprised how much differently he behaves now. Now he knows he can communicate without getting upset and throwing a tantrum. He is in control. He is learning that he is a person of value and he only reverts to tantrums where he knows he can get what he wants by doing that. When he is here at Grandma and Grandpa's house, he uses his words, and even told his older sisters one day when they were arguing, that they needed to use "their words...like me" he said. He's 5. He's very tiny, and was born with many problems of a physical nature. But now, what a joy he is because he feels like he matters. He is in control, likes being able to express himself in words, and is the funniest, wittiest, sweetest little youngster I've had the pleasure to know in a long time. Of course, all my kids were perfect! Ha ha If I'd known half the things my daughter knows about little kids, my life would have been a lot calmer and I would have put value on different things.
You can't go back and change the past. But thankfully children grow up and as adults you can cover a lot of ground you missed out on when they were small. You can't change anyone else, but you can express yourself in meaningful ways, and not only with words. You can alter your own behavior if you've been fortunate to be blessed with a lot of introspection and self-awareness. I don't know about you, but I've had a lot of problems in the past and they were so drastic that I had to have professional help at a very young age. It wasn't any one's fault, it was a chemical imbalance in my brain and nothing changes that but the proper medication and a lot of therapy. Now that I am well, and as normal as the next guy, I find so much joy in the little things in life, and I really do count that as a blessing. I also can't change the past, and I regret a lot of it, but why waste one moment worrying about what happened yesterday? We are all here to learn, to grow, to love and to experience to the fullest the joys and wonders of life. How sad it would be if I were to be this well, and spend the rest of my life regretting the years I was ill? That would be a total waste.
I am blessed to have a truly wonderful husband that to me is a gift from God himself, 3 wonderful children that love us, and our seven intelligent and beautiful and sweet grandchildren that make our family circle a rich and vibrant color to paint the canvas of life with. When you find your inner peace, and "Your Words", you can alleviate much suffering in the lives of others. That's what I've been attempting to do here. I have much to give. I have a heart full of love and a desire to help others, but sadly, the folks never come here. And if they do, they don't find it interesting. It's not "hip", not the "In-thing" I guess. But there are people in need and I've come to realize that all the love I have poured out here could be better directed. I will post occasionally when I have something to say, but I am at peace over the disinterest and I know that my family needs things and my home needs some TLC that I am going to apply in great measure.
You do what's important to you, a very wise man once told me. It is very important to help others. I serve my God by helping others. But if no one ever avails themselves of the words I speak here, I will speak them somewhere else, but not with my voice only, but my actions. I learned at an early age what it feels like to be ignored and put aside. I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now. I can't force anyone to read this, I don't know if there's anyone out there who even needs it. But I have 2 eyes and I can see all around me the things I could improve. As I said, I will post occasionally as the mood strikes me, and I will share joyously the wonderful things I have in my own life. But I first and foremost am going to put my words into actions in my own life and in the lives of those I love and if I have time when I'm through with my day, I may say a word or 2. My 5 year old grandson has shown me the value of "my words". They are powerful and they give you confidence and self-assurance. My words are meant to heal and to help. More than that I cannot offer. If you need peace, I direct you to your own soul. If you find monsters there that need taming, do so. If you find worry, cast it out. If you need love, start loving yourself and transform yourself. Learn that "your words" have power to make you or break you. This
will be the essence of the posting.
As you grow up you learn all these things and you take care of yourself. If you don't feel valued, you search for validation for your own self, and that my friend can be a long and tedious battle.
No one outside of yourself can validate you. You can look and look for acceptance and friendship and something that makes you feel worth while. But all the while you are empty. The days can be long and gray, without color, without joy, without hope. The search is never ending because we all want to matter to someone. People need people.
If you are a creature of habit, you repeat the same things in every new situation. You act the same, say the same things, and repeat your recorded messages to every new person you meet. These recorded messages are the pathways in the brain where you store your personality as it is built. You are a collection of things you've heard all your life and the things you have read and assimilated happenings of your whole life. All of who you are is stored in your brain and it is a lot to consider.
You are unique. There is no one else like you on planet earth. You are capable of many things. If you don't receive recognition as a child, sometimes you act out and throw tantrums. You can't do that as an adult, so best to get that out of your system as a child. Parent's who don't know how to deal with this, revert to spankings, and sending children to their rooms.....where they continue to rant and rave. You can't reason with a child, they don't understand. But if you wait till the tantrum is over, and then pick the child up and teach them how to use their "words" to express themselves, the breaking of day can dawn in that little child's life to give him control over himself.
One of our grandchildren is really good at throwing fits. At least he use to be. But our daughter was a Pre-School teacher and she knows how to deal with tantrums successfully. She taught him to use "his words". She'd tell him when he wound down that we don't understand the unintelligible wants he is trying to express and that he needed to use his "words". You'd be surprised how much differently he behaves now. Now he knows he can communicate without getting upset and throwing a tantrum. He is in control. He is learning that he is a person of value and he only reverts to tantrums where he knows he can get what he wants by doing that. When he is here at Grandma and Grandpa's house, he uses his words, and even told his older sisters one day when they were arguing, that they needed to use "their words...like me" he said. He's 5. He's very tiny, and was born with many problems of a physical nature. But now, what a joy he is because he feels like he matters. He is in control, likes being able to express himself in words, and is the funniest, wittiest, sweetest little youngster I've had the pleasure to know in a long time. Of course, all my kids were perfect! Ha ha If I'd known half the things my daughter knows about little kids, my life would have been a lot calmer and I would have put value on different things.
You can't go back and change the past. But thankfully children grow up and as adults you can cover a lot of ground you missed out on when they were small. You can't change anyone else, but you can express yourself in meaningful ways, and not only with words. You can alter your own behavior if you've been fortunate to be blessed with a lot of introspection and self-awareness. I don't know about you, but I've had a lot of problems in the past and they were so drastic that I had to have professional help at a very young age. It wasn't any one's fault, it was a chemical imbalance in my brain and nothing changes that but the proper medication and a lot of therapy. Now that I am well, and as normal as the next guy, I find so much joy in the little things in life, and I really do count that as a blessing. I also can't change the past, and I regret a lot of it, but why waste one moment worrying about what happened yesterday? We are all here to learn, to grow, to love and to experience to the fullest the joys and wonders of life. How sad it would be if I were to be this well, and spend the rest of my life regretting the years I was ill? That would be a total waste.
I am blessed to have a truly wonderful husband that to me is a gift from God himself, 3 wonderful children that love us, and our seven intelligent and beautiful and sweet grandchildren that make our family circle a rich and vibrant color to paint the canvas of life with. When you find your inner peace, and "Your Words", you can alleviate much suffering in the lives of others. That's what I've been attempting to do here. I have much to give. I have a heart full of love and a desire to help others, but sadly, the folks never come here. And if they do, they don't find it interesting. It's not "hip", not the "In-thing" I guess. But there are people in need and I've come to realize that all the love I have poured out here could be better directed. I will post occasionally when I have something to say, but I am at peace over the disinterest and I know that my family needs things and my home needs some TLC that I am going to apply in great measure.
You do what's important to you, a very wise man once told me. It is very important to help others. I serve my God by helping others. But if no one ever avails themselves of the words I speak here, I will speak them somewhere else, but not with my voice only, but my actions. I learned at an early age what it feels like to be ignored and put aside. I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now. I can't force anyone to read this, I don't know if there's anyone out there who even needs it. But I have 2 eyes and I can see all around me the things I could improve. As I said, I will post occasionally as the mood strikes me, and I will share joyously the wonderful things I have in my own life. But I first and foremost am going to put my words into actions in my own life and in the lives of those I love and if I have time when I'm through with my day, I may say a word or 2. My 5 year old grandson has shown me the value of "my words". They are powerful and they give you confidence and self-assurance. My words are meant to heal and to help. More than that I cannot offer. If you need peace, I direct you to your own soul. If you find monsters there that need taming, do so. If you find worry, cast it out. If you need love, start loving yourself and transform yourself. Learn that "your words" have power to make you or break you. This
will be the essence of the posting.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Rapture of the Seasons
I am thankful for my life, the good earth, the fruits that life bears, and the seasons that march proudly through our lives, even though we live in Sunny California where the summers are long and hot, and the rain doesn't fall some years. I am from the valleys and mountains of a land far, far away and we had the seasons there. I have not forgotten and my childhood was filled with the wonders of nature. As I've stated previously, I was allowed to roam to my heart's content and I did. I loved the feel of the soft dirt on my bare feet, and many spring days were spent in the hills behind our house, laying in the grass and looking for 4-leaf clover. It was thought that if you found one, you'd have good luck! I remember a beautiful bracelet my Mother had that had a clover leaf enclosed on a gold medallion and covered with glass. I was fascinated with it and although I never wore it, I'd open the hope chest often just to look at it. Her Dad had given it to her, and everything he had given her was sacred in her eyes. Not for children to wear, but she would show me proudly the things he had given her. She loved him very much.
The seasons of my childhood have come back in my later years, whether for pinning for the hills of home, or just wanting to share a bit of nostalgia, doesn't matter. It was beautiful, wild and wonderful and I do miss it at times. So, the other day I was doing dishes and suddenly a phrase popped into my head, as it often does, and I dried my hands and went to write it down. Then the whole poem came to me in words that painted a picture of the world I knew as a child.
"The sages say quite seriously that those who wish to know Tao better should cultivate the poet in themselves." A sentence from my husbands Tao book. I am a strange bird. I am a Christian Taoist and Shaman all rolled into one. I do write poetry and this one springs from years ago, the words of a child experiencing all the wonders of the season. I thought I'd share it today and see if you like it as well.
Rapture of the Seasons
Heavenly Father, you lend your warmth and sensibilities to every Season.
In the fall there are warm colors to make our world a homey place!
Followed by the Christmas Season, filed with delights and seasoned with Grace.
In spring we have the Daffodils and Tulips in a row.
All the world is green and lush, nurtured by the winter snow.
Summer comes with thunderstorms and languid days of heat.
We don our shorts and summer frocks and run with our bare feet!
In all the seasons you are there in nature's beauty revealed.
And all our lives you care for us and our destinies are sealed.
You have a plan for every life, you nurture us with care,
and oh what sweet repose is ours, just knowing you are there.
It doesn't matter what we face on this great earth you made,
we have a friend who gave His Life, so we could all be saved.
Saved from ourselves and the sins we all have and given Eternal Life,
we come to your throne our joy to receive and find release from all strife.
Open our eyes and gladden our hearts and sweet repose we will find,
A part of your plan from beginning to end for you have made us Divine!
This may not resonate with many, it is more than just the seasons to consider. But the seasons to me are gifts of God's love and a part of his wonderful ways of nurturing our earth and bringing forth ever--unfolding new life. It is with a care-free spirit this is written. It speaks to me of days filled with goodness and the manifold blessings of the Grace God has bestowed upon us. Whether we were raised to believe in the great spirit, God, the Tao, or any other faith, the beauty of the earth cannot be denied and we are blessed in ways we can't comprehend in all our wildest dreams.
I am most grateful for my life. My family is a gift too from His manifold Grace. He gave me many gifts and not least among them is the gift of my soul-mate. He introduced me to the Tao and it took me years to really find it for myself. But it is real, and to me represents the spirit of life. God. The Universe and the ever unfolding nature of life. I could no more live a day of life without being grateful to God for my many blessings, than I could part the Red Sea myself. It is from a grateful spirit and the abundant love I feel for all life that this is written. You don't have to be religious to enjoy life. If you are in step with nature, and feel the heart-beat of life in your own body, you know the miracle of life itself even if it's not something you think about every day.
"All life is sacred". The Tao teaches us that. Your life, mine, every man, woman and child have a reason to be here. "And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt The Universe is unfolding as it should." From Desiderata.... All things have a purpose. All things are blessings. Even Death. For it is in dying that we are reborn into a new life, a new beginning, and for all of us, something that is mysterious and not fully explained. It isn't sad to pass away and become a part of the force that created life itself. It is a blessing, it is a going home. It is rest, and peace, new energy, new unfolding.....the great mystery explained.
.More than just a poem...it is the beating of a human heart.
The seasons of my childhood have come back in my later years, whether for pinning for the hills of home, or just wanting to share a bit of nostalgia, doesn't matter. It was beautiful, wild and wonderful and I do miss it at times. So, the other day I was doing dishes and suddenly a phrase popped into my head, as it often does, and I dried my hands and went to write it down. Then the whole poem came to me in words that painted a picture of the world I knew as a child.
"The sages say quite seriously that those who wish to know Tao better should cultivate the poet in themselves." A sentence from my husbands Tao book. I am a strange bird. I am a Christian Taoist and Shaman all rolled into one. I do write poetry and this one springs from years ago, the words of a child experiencing all the wonders of the season. I thought I'd share it today and see if you like it as well.
Rapture of the Seasons
Heavenly Father, you lend your warmth and sensibilities to every Season.
In the fall there are warm colors to make our world a homey place!
Followed by the Christmas Season, filed with delights and seasoned with Grace.
In spring we have the Daffodils and Tulips in a row.
All the world is green and lush, nurtured by the winter snow.
Summer comes with thunderstorms and languid days of heat.
We don our shorts and summer frocks and run with our bare feet!
In all the seasons you are there in nature's beauty revealed.
And all our lives you care for us and our destinies are sealed.
You have a plan for every life, you nurture us with care,
and oh what sweet repose is ours, just knowing you are there.
It doesn't matter what we face on this great earth you made,
we have a friend who gave His Life, so we could all be saved.
Saved from ourselves and the sins we all have and given Eternal Life,
we come to your throne our joy to receive and find release from all strife.
Open our eyes and gladden our hearts and sweet repose we will find,
A part of your plan from beginning to end for you have made us Divine!
This may not resonate with many, it is more than just the seasons to consider. But the seasons to me are gifts of God's love and a part of his wonderful ways of nurturing our earth and bringing forth ever--unfolding new life. It is with a care-free spirit this is written. It speaks to me of days filled with goodness and the manifold blessings of the Grace God has bestowed upon us. Whether we were raised to believe in the great spirit, God, the Tao, or any other faith, the beauty of the earth cannot be denied and we are blessed in ways we can't comprehend in all our wildest dreams.
I am most grateful for my life. My family is a gift too from His manifold Grace. He gave me many gifts and not least among them is the gift of my soul-mate. He introduced me to the Tao and it took me years to really find it for myself. But it is real, and to me represents the spirit of life. God. The Universe and the ever unfolding nature of life. I could no more live a day of life without being grateful to God for my many blessings, than I could part the Red Sea myself. It is from a grateful spirit and the abundant love I feel for all life that this is written. You don't have to be religious to enjoy life. If you are in step with nature, and feel the heart-beat of life in your own body, you know the miracle of life itself even if it's not something you think about every day.
"All life is sacred". The Tao teaches us that. Your life, mine, every man, woman and child have a reason to be here. "And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt The Universe is unfolding as it should." From Desiderata.... All things have a purpose. All things are blessings. Even Death. For it is in dying that we are reborn into a new life, a new beginning, and for all of us, something that is mysterious and not fully explained. It isn't sad to pass away and become a part of the force that created life itself. It is a blessing, it is a going home. It is rest, and peace, new energy, new unfolding.....the great mystery explained.
.More than just a poem...it is the beating of a human heart.
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