Monday, June 22, 2009

Friendships and change




Friendships are constantly shifting, changing and ending. Just like cycles of reinvention, all friendships have beginnings and endings, where either the friendship literally ends or both friends embark on a new beginning together. Sometimes friendships end quite unexpectedly while others may last through these shifts.

I saw an old friend today and in that moment, I saw all that we used to be. Although I have accepted that the friendship is no longer what it used to be, I was deeply saddened when I saw her. And I realized that this was okay.....

In this encounter, I realized just how important it is to grieve friendships when they end. Every friendship has its time and all that we really have with friends are the moments. These moments are the part of the friendship that should be cherished, appreciated and remembered.

Today I learned that in relationships, all we have are moments.

Love and light,

S

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Opening the heart





Last week two friends gave me two poems on the same day. I really liked both of them and have decided to share them with you.

The first is written by Oriah Mountain Dreamer and is the basis of her book The Invitation. It can be found on her website:
http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com/

The second poem is called Love After Love and is written by Derek Walcott and can be found at

http://www.eliteskills.com/analysis_poetry/Love_After_Love_by_Derek_Walcott_analysis.php

It’s funny because both of these poems call to what my heart longs for.

Love and light,

S

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Endings and beginnings


T.S. Eliot said "What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from."

This week I have come across some people from my past. Some of these people I knew long ago and others have more recently left my life for whatever reason.

Looking at things now, these times seem so long ago for me. I feel like I was such a different person then and in many ways, I don’t really remember that life that I used to live. It is such a weird encounter because it physically illustrates the shifts and changes that I have undergone during the past couple of years. And it is such an amazing thing to see.

Don’t get me wrong, my spiritual journey is just beginning, as I begin to try to really understand and get to know myself and I have tons more to learn, live through and encounter. But I realize that I am no longer in the place where I used to be, that I am moving forward and beyond things that in the past would have kept me stuck. To actually see that I am not there anymore, that I have moved forward is huge for me. It feels empowering and positive and real.

At the same time, there is so much sadness in endings-letting go of all that was shared, all the moments that brought so much joy. But I am beginning to realize that these are simply moments, moments to be cherished and remembered. And after all is said and done, they are moments just the same.

Time results in changes: people change, life shifts and things that were so stable at one point in time can become unstable and messy. Change causes shifts which begin to work away at you, and chisel at you as you become the person you were meant to be.

I am grateful for everyone who has come and gone because they all had a purpose, all taught me more about myself and who I was. They helped me grow. And although this process is hurts, it has to happen all the same and the only way to go through it is to go through it.

Today, I learned that endings are not really endings at all; they are the beginnings of something new: new understandings come with shift and change.

Love and light,

S

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

45 Lessons




I received this e-mail this morning and it was filled with insightful yet simple wisdoms. A reminder to truly live! Thanks mb....

Here it is:

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column I wrote once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don 't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don 't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don 't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don 't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don 't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Love and light,

S

Monday, June 8, 2009

Shifts and Challenges



Lately I haven't been writing as much as I would like to. It seems like life has once again taken me on a joy ride, through the waves of the unknown. At this moment I am trying to discover just what comes next and I am beginning to acknowledge (though not very easily, I must say) that I must be doing exactly what I am meant to be doing or else it wouldn't be happening.

The past couple weeks have been a period of change and shifting for me. Life is always shifting and I guess that is what it is meant to do. All I can do is move with it. I am finding that things are more challenging, that attempting to walk in the light means doing things differently. Things that I have never done before. Things that used to be easy for me to ignore or push aside are no longer that easy to ignore any more. Things that I would have made excuses for before no longer slide. I guess this is a part of growing and of being true.

Challenges have taken on a new dimension for me. It is more about who I am choosing to be in each moment and how true I am choosing to be in regards to what I believe and who I am. It becomes really difficult to stand by and allow things into my life that I can no longer want.

But I also feel as if the more I choose to open and allow things to be different, the more beautiful opportunities I encounter. But I have to get through the challenges, I have to be true to myself. I have to feel the feelings, feel my heart and let what's in my heart out. This is the only way that I will be okay with these shifts that I am going through.

I found this inspiring e-mail in my inbox today that I receive from kabbalah.com. It reads:

Challenges are opportunities. I'd just like to remind you of this timeless principle for the 2,344,343th time.Believe me, I know seeing negative events as opportunities (rather than punishment) is one of the hardest things a person can do. Just remember, it's second nature to your soul and the more you practice this perspective, the more it will become second nature to your rational consciousness.Today, watch your experience change as your attitude changes towards things that would normally bother you.

(exhale).....Just what I needed to hear!

Today I learned to try to see challenges as opportunities, even though it can at times be sooo difficult to do so!

Love and light,

S

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Simple Reminders


I was presently surprised when I opened my the current book that I am reading. On the card that I was using as a bookmark, above the image of a hummingbird, was the following passage:

Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration. The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life's sweetest creation.

What a magical moment indeed!

Love and light,

Saran