Home is Where I Want to Be

Living in Florida the last few years, I felt separated from the turning of the seasons as I had known it. I think I was needing that break, and then when it happened, I realized I really did miss the cycle of nature that occurs in the Northern climate.
Now I am back in it, and I both recall what I loved and what I disliked about this part of it. I am talking about winter, of course. It's cold, and cold, and cold. It makes me want to stay home. I feel inexplicably homesick, even when I am at home. It's all part of the process. It's what's got me pondering lately. Winter holds me in its thrall. It keeps me home and makes me homesick. >sigh<

A smile relieves a heart that grieves

At the deepest level, we all know the secrets of the Universe. No matter how far we stray from this fact, it is comforting to know, that it always waits for our return. It waits with unending patience. And we always do return.
Even when it looks like we are far away from the Source, we are really not. That's an illusion.
We are a part of the eternal cycle of creation, so we can never be a-part from it. The illusion serves a purpose. That is the question, then: what is the purpose of the illusion?
P.S. The title of this post comes from the Stones song, "Waiting on a Friend" which came to mind as I was writing this. I feel like I am waiting on a friend.

Now Here: Being

To "be here now" is such a simple concept, but quite a challenge to practice! We receive this message all the time: the secret to peace and happiness is to practice this simple act every day.
If we continually bring ourselves back to the present moment, from wherever we have strayed, we can become better at it. Who doesn't remember the past, or think about the future? Most of us do this most of the time, without even realizing it. It is human nature to do that. Is it, then, against human nature to do otherwise? Not really, I think, it is just unfamiliar, and it feels almost self-indulgent at times. But to truly be in the moment is to connect with the divine within ourselves.

A little protein, please

Things are beginning to quiet down now. Last week began with my
birth father dying, progressed to my daughter becoming ill,
and ended with her in the hospital. This meant I could not
attend the funeral, and I missed seeing some dear relatives
as they gathered for it in a nearby state.
I am so grateful my daughter is healing; she is not all the way
there yet, but I have faith that she will be up and running in a few days.
So, the grieving process took an unexpected turn. I found that I
had to focus on my child instead of my parent. Life sure is
funny and mysterious sometimes.
It may be a few more days until I get back to my usual
philosophical musings here. My husband is on a business trip
to Florida, so at least I may be able to get some good sleep!!
I have a lot on my mind, but it doesn't seem to be coming out in words yet.
For now, this nugget:
the wisdom of the body.

Angels are Singing

Angels, do you have a message for me?
Meredith, precious child of God, we sing now.
We sing praises and we sing of joy in heaven.
Please know we are with you always.
We sing in times of joy and we sing in times of sadness.
We are really into the singing thing!
It is our way of communicating the inexpressible.

Early morning at Water's Edge

This is the view down our street, this morning as we waited for the school bus to come.
The picture doesn't begin to capture the beauty...everything is coated in white. Amazing.

Dewitt Keen

It seems important to acknowledge that my father died yesterday. I had anticipated it to some degree, because his health had been failing for some time. But the finality of it is still a shock.
It is hard to describe how I am feeling about it. I am not even sure I know how I feel about it.
This I do know:
*He taught me something about love, though he may not have known it. He spent our entire lives loving my brothers, my sister and me. He did not get very much back from us, to be sure. The reasons for that are many and varied. He loved us without asking for anything in return.
*There is a church in Connecticut that will no longer have flowers on its altar dedicated to us on each of our birthdays.
*When I spoke to him on Christmas Day, I could not bring myself to tell him I love him. The words could not come out of my mouth, even though a part of me knew this would be the last time we spoke.
*I am relieved, for his sake, that he is no longer suffering.
*I can hear his voice now, quietly speaking in his courtly way, with a slightly Southern accent. He had an eloquent way about him, always.
*Even though we did not have a close relationship here on earth, he is shining down on me from heaven now.
Dewitt Keen: a true gentleman, a good man with a lot of love in his heart..........

Turn, Turn, Turn

For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

How to Do Nothing Without Even Trying, in 4 Simple Steps

1) Allow beliefs and prior experiences to color perception of the present.
2) Substitute a reference to another experience for the actual, direct experience.
3) Use metaphor and symbolism to construct a framework for understanding and action.
4) Refer to Step 1.

{Insert examples here}

Dear Universe

Dear Universe:

I am writing to you today to let you know that I am ready for a change. I declare to you here and now that I need assistance with shifting my circumstances in the direction that I wish to go. I ask for your help and guidance.
Please refer to the piece of paper I have left under my pillow, for the specifics of the changes that I am ready for. I have written down fifteen changes that I am ready for. They are in no particular order; they are all important to me.
Universe, I know that you appreciate clarity. I am confident that you will respond at the right time.
Thank you, Universe.

Love always,
Meredith

Nice to Know

Unconditional love knows no limits.
This is the meaning of eternity.
Unending joy and love await you.

I'm thinking....

Let's see, that's four decades, going on five, of dealing with the notion of perfection. Do I detect a pattern here? Perhaps it is more accurately a theme. Or, for heaven's sake, A LIFE LESSON.
There's something here, about joy and love dwelling in my heart, and their journey to and from my head. This is an unfinished contemplation, as semantics construct boundaries, for now.
PUBLISH OR PERISH!!!

Blog Rules

It has come to my attention that I have been breaking most, if not all, of the major rules of blogging. If you know blogs, then you know instinctively what these rules are, so I don't think I need to enumerate my transgressions. On the other hand, if you don't know blogs, and you just happen to read mine, and you get the feeling that something is missing, you are right! Aren't you happy about this? No? Oh, okay. Well, now that I have satisfied your craving for my daily post, I can go back to living my rich, passionate, transparent, authentic life of integrity and engagement.

Hard Done by ME??

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

I have spent most of my life, it seems, living by this principle.
I normally do not feel understood by most people, and I have
an insatiable desire to understand everything around me.

Along with my quest for understanding, a habit I took up early
in life is to try and put myself in another person's shoes.
I aspire always to see the other person's perspective.
I don't talk about it much with anyone;
it is simply a mental habit of mine.

It is always a delicate balance, when one is routinely
misunderstood, between the urge to compel understanding
within another person, and the acceptance of that person's
right to their own point of view.

I rarely, if ever, intend harm or insult to another. But if my words
or actions are interpreted that way, what then?
Do I search my soul for some unacknowledged malice?
Do I try to see the situation from that person's point of view?
Do I apologize for something I am accused of, even though I
don't feel I did anything wrong?

I think I am done saying I am sorry.

Credo

I can climb a mountain with one step.
I can swim across an ocean with two strokes.
I can fly to a star in a quick moment, and return in a flash.
I can dance with the angels on the head of a pin.
I can dive into a cell and play cards with the mitochondria.
I can sing a song so beautiful that it brings tears to your eyes.
I can make you smile just by looking at you.
I can do anything!
I am limitless!