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Posts from the ‘Friends’ Category

Mar 9

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Beneath

“The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.” – Bernard Williams

Beneath the weight of the snow lies green grass ready to awaken, flowers ready to burst from the earth. The warmth of the sun brings a slow, steady melt. Renewed and refreshed from the dormancy of Winter, Spring patiently waits to unfold in its time.

Through the seasons of our life, we cycle from hibernation to fruition, never the same, growing and unfolding into ourselves. We can remain buried beneath the layers and weight or we can let the heaviness melt away, letting go, forgetting, forgiving, moving on.

Spring releases Winter. We need not carry it any further. It has served its purpose. Melt, soften, become more gentle. Breakthrough the layers, burst, bud, bloom. Be bright, bold and beautiful. Beneath, beneath, Spring has come.

“The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.” – Gary Zukav

“The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.” – Gary Zukav

Mar 8

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Party Hat

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” – Anais Nin

We celebrated Lily’s fourth birthday this morning with a run with friends. The party hats didn’t make it too long on the dogs, but the rest of us wore our hats for the entire run. We got a few strange looks but when we explained we were celebrating a dog’s birthday, it made all the sense in the world.

“Enthusiasm moves the world.” – Arthur Balfour

“Enthusiasm moves the world.” – Arthur Balfour

Friends wear silly hats, sing “Happy Birthday” in the parking lot and know how to make fun of a run together. In a hectic and often unkind world, we can create our own celebrations and moments every day. We have so much more than we often recognize. Today, I am grateful for Lily and Molly and good friends that make life fun, silly and deeply meaningful all at once.

Today’s a new day. Get your party hat on!

Feb 28

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The Outcome

“To have striven, to have made the effort, to have been true to certain ideals – this alone is worth the struggle.” – William Osler

We often get to point B before ever leaving point A. Rushing to the conclusion, we forgo the journey. We play out conversations in our head, assuming we know exactly what will be said, bypassing the chance for a real exchange.

When we put more into the effort and less into predicting the outcome, we let go of what we have no control of to start with. Give your best and the outcome will take care of itself. What others think, popularity and people pleasing are fleeting. Without regard for reward or penalty, our thoughts, actions and words should be grounded in our ideals, our authentic self.

No hesitation, no bias, no assumptions, no predictions. Do, speak, think, feel and be who you are without consideration of the results, knowing the effort will pay off. With forethought based in kindness, let your presence leave behind more than what was there before you passed through.

“Living never wore one out so much as the effort not to live.” – Anais Nin

Feb 25

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The Waterline

“What goes on externally is only the tip of the iceberg in any situation. The lessons, the real changes, the opportunities to grow—these are things the body’s eyes can’t see. They remain beneath the spiritual water line, but they are there. And they represent a much more vast picture of the soul’s journey than what we can see from the perspective of our physical senses. Growth is not always about getting what we think we want. Always, it’s about becoming the men and women we have the potential to be. Loving, pure, honest, clear.” – Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love

“From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau

“From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau

Cast your net more deep than wide. Beneath the surface of assumptions and judgment lies compassion and kindness. The truth is below the waterline, waiting to free us to love deeper, stay longer and become who we are meant to be. Just beneath the waterline.

Feb 17

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BINGO

“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A. A. Milne

The sound of a text on the phone – a text from Linda today “Another year cancer-free. Hugs and kisses.” Today marks 15 years to the day I was called on Ash Wednesday, 1999 to be told that I had stage 3 melanoma. I had to be reminded. I forgot. She remembered. That’s what friends and family do – they remember, they celebrate, they hold up a mirror to show us the best of us – our soul, our spirit.

We remember the offenses, we remember the struggles, we remember the day and minute we get the call. We need to remember the laughter, the lessons and the steps that lead us to the many victories, the celebrations. Tonight, I had dinner with family and played a little bingo. Laughing, winning the meat raffle twice and sharing special moments that make up a good life. So as the numbers are being called, remember to yell “bingo” when you win. It’s more often than we count.

“God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.” – James M. Barrie

“God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.” – James M. Barrie

Feb 15

Olympic Moments

“There are times to cultivate and create, when you nurture your world and give birth to new ideas and ventures. There are times of flourishing and abundance, when life feels in full bloom, energized and expanding. And there are times of fruition, when things come to an end. They have reached their climax and must be harvested before they begin to fade. And finally of course, there are times that are cold, and cutting and empty, times when the spring of new beginnings seems like a distant dream. Those rhythms in life are natural events. They weave into one another as day follows night, bringing, not messages of hope and fear, but messages of how things are.” – Chogyam Trungpa

The true joy of the Olympics is witnessing the fruition and culmination of hard work, commitment and perseverance. Effort, focus and sacrifice win the day, no matter the medal. Potential is transformed into reality, not from luck, fairness or entitlement but from having a dream and vision and the willingness to risk it all and to pursue it with every fiber that’s within.

When Nicole Pikus-Pace won the silver medal in skeleton yesterday, she climbed into the stands to celebrate with her family – they all won the medal. The silver was her gold. Her joy and enthusiasm radiated. Today, Matt Antoine just won the bronze medal in skeleton – he’s the brother of one of my co-workers. It’s been awesome to watch the joy of their journey play out. Jeremy Abbott fell hard in his  ice skating routine, yet he had the courage to go back out, with no hope of a medal, and finish his Olympics with an outstanding performance. The fall was yesterday. Today is a new canvas to paint on.

And these stories show us the potential that is waiting for fruition in each one of us, if we dare. And while we may never get to the Olympics, we all have Olympic moments. When we lay it all on the line, give our best and never hold back, we win the gold.

Feb 12

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Be Glad

“This happiness consisted of nothing else but the harmony of the few things around me with my own existence, a feeling of contentment and well-being that needed no changes and no intensification.” – Herman Hesse

When we let go of the idea that we’ll be happy when circumstances or people change, we discover true contentment doesn’t shift with the wind and resides within and right next to us in the simplicity of daily moments. We need to trust that deep well within, get into alignment with our core values and let the rest go. So much easier said than done, and often a lesson that needs to be relearned daily.

Being grateful for blessings of family and friends, reflection, rest, laughter, singing the “poochy mama” song to the girls, running with friends all get me back in the groove of living well and in the present. We’ve arrived, we just forget sometimes.

“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love, to work, to play, and to look up at the stars.” – Henry Van Dyke

“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love, to work, to play, and to look up at the stars.” – Henry Van Dyke

Feb 4

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Get Up

“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” – Anais Nin

We don’t fail when we fail. We fail when we stop getting up, when we give up. Everyone’s story is one of wins and losses, joys and sorrows. The losses give us the most valuable lessons – resilience, grace, faith, strength, fortitude, hope. The wins show us the world of possibilities.

Aim higher, push forward and never quit growing. Go easy on yourself and others, honoring the strength and frailty of the human spirit. We aren’t made for perfection. Only God is perfect. We are made for love, for excellence, for so much more than we allow ourselves to accept, believe, to welcome in.

Move swiftly into the world to risk, to engage, to participate fully. Expect more and work for it. Get into the flow of living instead of always fighting the current. Observe well and be on watch for the next steps will reveal themselves when we’re ready.

We don’t have to figure everything out. Contentment is found in the mystery of our story unfolding, of lessons learned and of moments together in laughter and tears. Be awestruck by the bigness of life and the depth of each moment.

Jan 30

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Leap and Dive

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” – Meister Eckhart

As we bounce all around, moving rapidly from one thing to the next, we forget to pause and be grateful. Yesterday, I was waiting for tests on two lumps on Molly. A few hours later, I got the call and they are benign. Spike the football!

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop

We are quick to be frazzled and distraught, bouncing and skimming. We need to be even quicker to let gratitude breakthrough and interrupt our busy life. And invite it to stay. The good news reminded me that I need to do more leaping for joy and diving deep into thankfulness every day, letting the busyness fade to the background to take its proper place.

Leap for joy and dive deep into gratitude today. A good prayer indeed. Amen.

Jan 14

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Take Shape

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

Embrace change, or at least accept it and move on. Know what you can change and what’s not yours to change. Ground yourself in truth and principles that don’t change with the fickle “weather patterns” of the world. Radical principles like love, faith, grace, compassion, generosity, joy, gratitude. We fritter away too much time pining on people and situations we can’t change instead of what we can change – ourselves. When we know who we are, who we are not, who we can be, we grow, take new shape.

Suddenly, the mundane becomes miraculous. Water goes from rain to snow to an ice sculpture woven delicately through a branch. The multitude of daily blessings reveal themselves as if for the first time, though they have been there the entire time waiting to be seen. Old becomes new. Random transforms into shapes and patterns that we have never seen before. Join the dance.

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