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Thoughts, spiritual experiences, happenings and insights
from the woman who discovered the Personal Connector Word to God
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Thursday, November 19, 2009 WHY ARE ALIENS ALWAYS DEPICTED AS REPTILES?This blog is not going to be about whether there are aliens
or not, nor am I going to debate whether they are here now, in our midst, or not. When all of pop culture starts "preparing"
us for their arrival; when most other nations have de-classified and released all their UFO documents; when reputable pilots, military
personnel and other authority figures around the globe hold a conference on UFO's and invite the press; when the Vatican,
for God's sake (no pun intended), comes out and announces it's OK for all of us to believe in aliens; when a former astronaut
who walked on the moon says he doesn't think there are UFO's, he knows there are UFO's. . . . well, a thinking person has
to start thinking that perhaps there is something behind all of this. Perhaps the jig will be up soon. Maybe
that is why Obama is making his global rounds to leaders. Who knows?
What I would like to blog about, however, is the new TV series "V."
Apparently it is based on an old TV program by the same name with the same premise. (I didn't see the old one.) "V" is for
"visitors" and in this TV series the aliens have INDEED arrived and have been among us in "sleeper cells" for quite some time.
What I find interesting about "V" is that like many old movies and TV programs depicting visitors from outer space, the aliens
turn out to be reptilian. Oh, they have cleverly "covered themselves" in skin and look just like us. But, underneath that
fake skin, lies one ugly reptile. Or amphibian. It's often hard to tell. Even when they don't cover up and appear to be friendly
(think ET), they usually are ugly suckers, often with green skin and bulging eyes. Reptilian.
Why do we assume that if intelligent life from another planet has the
smarts to get here and has technology that would make ours look like tinker-toys that they would resemble the lowest of low-life
on this earth: lizards or snakes or frogs. Why? Because reptiles give us the "creeps" and most people abhor them. Thus,
if you want to portray "outsiders" from the beyond, it seems best to equate them to an earthly animal that is stupid, scary
and abhorrent. Because, after all, if aliens do arrive here on earth it can only be to do us harm. Right?
The only movie I recall that portrayed aliens in a "good light" (pun
intended) was "Cocoon." In this movie, when the fake skin is stripped away from the aliens, it reveals a golden light
form. Just pure golden light. That's how I'd like to think of advanced beings from another planet. That's what I think aliens might
be: enlightened beings. Perhaps even angels. Or spiritual beings. And they wouldn't necessarily be arriving from another
planet, but from another dimension or plane. That might explain UFO's "coming and going," popping in and out of sight so quickly.
Maybe they have to lower their energy vibration just to get "down here" with us.
And if they do come or are here, unlike the premise of "V," I think
they'd be less likely to do us harm than we would be to do them harm. After all, they are more intelligent, right? And if
WE were more intelligent, we would finally get past our behaviors of wars, greed, and violence. So, in my opinion, I
don't expect to see giant lizards arriving from the great beyond in space ships intent on wiping out humanity. I
expect, instead, to see enlightened beings, full of love and peace and harmony, who might gently guide us to
a new age--one that rids the world of barbaric practices--one that unites, not separates.
Of course, if they look like geckos, well that would be all right,
too, I guess. At least geckos are reptiles that are cute. And little. Not as comforting as golden light forms, but intelligent
little geckos buzzing around in flying saucers would be acceptable. Just as long as they don't try to sell me car insurance!
Monday, November 16, 2009 TWO RANDOM THINGS ABOUT MYSELF?Tuesday's theme on Blogdumps is to share two random
things about yourself.
Could I, or anyone, really blog about "two random things"?
My spiritual path has shown me, time and again, that nothing in this Universe is "random." "Random"
implies that I (and others on Blogdumps) will write something that has "no specific pattern, purpose or objective."
I believe that everything in our lives--everything in the Universe--does indeed have a specific pattern, purpose or objective.
All things are connected. All people are connected. All experiences mean something, and all aspects of our lives are there
for a reason. Thus, whatever each of us CHOOSES to put down as two random things won't really be random at
all. They will be choices we have deliberately made in order to share something about ourselves.
Let's say I really want to go for "random" in a big way. So, I will
write the following two things about myself: 1. My big toe is itchy, and 2. My sprinkler system will come
on in about one hour. Pretty random, wouldn't you say? Not
really. Because if I choose to write those superficial and generic things about myself in response to Blogdumps theme,
then it is probably because I don't really want to reveal anything of importance about myself. They're not really random things, but deliberately flippant and meaningless things.
If I want to share some "random" aspects that might make me look intelligent,
however, I might choose these instead: 1. I began teaching high school at the age of 20, and 2. I wrote
grant proposals for universities and colleges for 20 years resulting in millions and millions and millions of dollars.
Then again, these so-called "random" things have a good chance of making me look like a braggart--and the last thing
I want to project on my spiritual site is that I am all-knowing and arrogant. Writing those would be much too self-serving.
More importantly, they are from my past. Spiritually, I've learned to focus on the present, and the future. So, please
just scratch those last two "random" things.
Well, then let's shoot for neutral, but personal. That may be the best
"random" route to go: 1. I recently visited Branson, Missouri, and 2. I am 5' 7" tall. How's
that? I think that might be better. Not random, of course, since I just admitted I was going for "neutral, but personal,"
but not bad, given the complexity of this whole topic. See my point?
Gee, I wonder what my poor Blogdump friends are thinking about their
own posts by now. Wondering, perhaps, what their two "random" things will really reveal about themselves? (Too
late, you already posted them! LOL) Hey, perhaps next week's theme should be: what did you REALLY learn about your colleagues
on Blogdumps from their posts about the not-so-random things about themselves. Wouldn't that make for an interesting topic?
(Just kidding. Hey, that was one "random" thing I could have posted about myself here: I have a rather offbeat sense
of humor!)
Thursday, November 12, 2009 MORE COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, BUT LESS COMMUNICATIONI like technology and all the advances it has brought.
If I didn't, I wouldn't have my own website and this blog. But, every thinking person should stop and ask herself an
important question: Have our communication devices resulted in BETTER communication or WORSE?
Lately, for me, the WORSE answer is surfacing more often.
Let's start with e-mail, an amazing communications method that has practically put the U.S. postal service out of business.
Yesterday I emailed Harvard Press with a simple question: Did I need copyright permission from them on use of a specific
poem by Emily Dickinson? I didn't even know if they were the ones to ask permission from; what's more, this particular
poem was said to be in the "public domain" and I just wanted to be sure it was. A simple yes or no answer. That's all
that was required. Yes, submit to us for permission. No, we don't hold any copyright over that item. The wonders of email:
I got a response the very next day!
The horrors of email: the response (from an actual
person named David) was offbase and moronic. David obviously gives the same response to everyone who dares to email him
with a question. David said I had to submit all permission requests following a laborious procedure. Then he attached a copy
of that laborious process. David then gave me his "Best Regards."
David, I wasn't asking HOW to ask for "permission"--I was simply
asking if I even HAD to. Why would I submit a lengthy application to you when I don't even know if you hold a copyright
on the item in question? When I hit reply to ask David this, the email bounced, of course. You couldn't "reply" to David.
David did not want to be replied to. David was not interested in two-way communication, only one-way communication. David
had a set procedure and couldn't use his own brain to read and interpret a situation.
Then there are cell phones, the marvel of 21st-century communication.
Texting is the new trend. It's fast, it's simple and it has revolutionized communication. Or has it? Parents tell me
that it is often the ONLY way they can get their children to answer them. Think about why that is. When I was a youngster,
my parents used to cross-examine me about my whereabouts--in person. They'd look into your eyes and could tell if you were
lying or about to get into some mischief you shouldn't. When we moved to cell phones, the part about looking into your kids'
faces to determine what was going on went by the wayside, but you could still judge from their voices and background noises.
And, more importantly, when you had them on the line, you could ask questions. You could clarify. You could have a TWO-way
communication. Why do you think kids like texting so much? They've just made two-way communication with their parents into
ONE-way communication. Short and sweet. No follow-up questions. No reply needed. Just like David and his email, kids with
their texting have taken control of the communication mode, and by doing so, they have literally STOPPED communication. They
have stopped questions or clarifications. Is this better communication? Not if you are a consumer; not if
you are a parent.
We have all experienced the frustration of calling a bank, a cable
company, or nearly all entities these days--and getting their "automated answering system." Press 1 for this. Press 2 for
this. Press 3 for this. And when you do, another menu comes up with more choices. You spend 5 or 10 minutes trying to wing
your way through the maze of their offices, hoping eventually that you get a "real person" with some knowledge. Even if you
are lucky enough to get to that point, it rarely results in an answer to your "simple question." Either you get the
wrong person, the wrong office, or someone who has been trained in a "script" that they can't think beyond. Has this communications
technology made for BETTER communication or WORSE? Who does it help? Certainly not the consumer. It only makes the company
save money on employees.
The purpose of COMMUNICATION is to get two individuals to understand
each other. In order to do that, it has to be two-way. It has to allow for follow-up questions, clarifications, and problems
outside the box. It has to be a give and take. Often it takes TIME. And guess what, it results in a relationship! You get
to KNOW one another. Apparently, we are exchanging SPEED for quality outcomes. David was fast with an answer. Texting is fast
with an answer. Unfortunately, the answers don't really answer anything at all. Communication is more muddled now than ever
before. All our devices haven't made human beings "more in touch," they have actually led to more isolation and ambiguity.
For all our communication advances, people are more lonely and misunderstood than ever.
There is one communication, however, that is immune from all this nonsense.
And that is our communication with God. By discovering your Personal Connector Word to God, you will connect with the
most important entity of all: our divine source. And God doesn't have an automated answering system. He doesn't text
message short and curt responses. God really listens to you. Then, He/She clearly guides you with his/her responses.
God believes in real two-way communication.
Unfortunately, most of us are trying to do with God what we are doing
with others via email and texting. We are trying to make it a one-way communication. We are going for speed. We "pray" and
"ask God" for this or that, but we don't take time to see God's answers or directions. We are busy, after
all. How can we discover our Personal Connector Word to God or all the other signs God sends us each day when we have
reduced everything important in life to a 140-character Tweet?
News flash, folks: God doesn't tweet. He/She is not in a hurry
and loves us too much to reduce our relationship with Him/Her to 140 characters. God's interest in us is genuine and deep.
Sometimes I think the Universe is purposely leading us all into this
sterile, speed-driven, technology-inundated communication. I think God might be purposely taking us over the "communications
edge." Because, sooner or later, we are going to miss REAL communication between REAL human beings. Sooner or later, we are
going to pine for understanding, deep conversation, two-way exchanges and an investment of time in others we care about. Sooner
or later, Youtube videos and blogs will not satisfy our souls. It is then, of course, that we will finally turn back to God.
Sunday, November 1, 2009 IT'S NOT FUNNY, JAY LENOI used to like Jay Leno's Tonight Show, so watching his
new 10 pm show is very disappointing to me. Jay has decided to go the route of "young men aged 17-28," apparently. That means
mindless humor that humiliates people, deals a lot with sex, and has as the ultimate joke anything that deals with a penis.
Unfortunately, for Jay, none of it is funny or even approaches funny.
According to the Internet, Jay's new show is bombing, and to me, it
isn't a surprise. Whether Jay realizes it or not, his AUDIENCE was NOT 18-49 year-olds (who TV-land mistakenly has identified
as the best consumers), but has always been the over 55-year-olds, and a lot of them women. And, to be frank, to them,
Jay's new show stinks.
Why does it stink? It's simple. It just isn't funny. Jay has taken
to bringing on "new young comics," which frankly, are not new, not comic, and barely meet the criteria of being young.
Their humor is not only NOT funny, it's not even understandable. It's lame. Then Jay has abandoned the things that used to
be amusing--Jaywalking, interviewing people we could actually recognize, and amusing commentaries on life--in lieu of his
NEW ideas, like White Moments in Black History. These excerpts are not only NOT funny, but actually border on being pathetic.
Jay should have realized that he should KEEP to the things that made people watch him when he was on at 11:35pm. Instead,
he's trying to pander to a group of pimply-faced boys who are NOT watching him at 10 pm., but are instead playing their mindless
video games. No one thinks Beer Pong videos are funny, or even mildly amusing. Jay, it's SENIOR citizens who were watching
you. Now that you've decided penis jokes are the way to go, we will STOP watching you. There will be no one left!
It's really sad to watch Jay Leno now. He's out of his element, and
he's very uncomfortable. He has celebrities racing Ford cars that no one cares about. He sits out from behind a desk and doesn't
know what to do with his legs. He brings on young "stars" that no one can even recognize. He makes penis jokes until you want
to scream and say, "Enough already. We are tired of hearing about what is dangling between men's legs." He just isn't funny
anymore. We are embarrassed for him. He has stooped to such a low, that we hurt for him.
Somewhere along the line, some idiot decided that the economic spending
demographic was with "18-49-year-old's." I find that amusing. All the 18-49 year-olds that I know are either broke, in credit
card debt up to their butts, or bankrupt. These people don't have any money, Jay. NO, they are not the demographic with the
disposable income. News flash TV people: the people with the dough to spend are the OVER-55-year-old crowd. They are
the ones who have the money. And contrary to your 20th century thinking, we do spend money and we DO change brands. And your
18-49 year-old's--who do you think they are getting money from? Their parents and grandparents, of course. They have none
of their own. They are unemployed, underemployed or barely getting by.
Jay Leno, you are sinking. You are sinking because you believe marketing
experts who are all wrong. You are sinking because you are abandoning what originally made you funny. You are sinking because
you no longer believe in yourself and your own instincts. You are pandering to a younger generation, Jay, who don't give a
damn about you, only about themselves. How sad. Use your humor to reach your OWN generation, and you may still yet succeed.
Keep trying to be something you are not, and you will continue to fail.
That's a lesson for all of us. Be yourself. Be true to yourself. Act
your age. And God will provide.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 "CHRISTIAN WOMAN NEEDS A SMALL LAWN MOWER- $50"This was the ad under "Wanted" on Craig's List in my local
area today. It got me to thinking. If I had a lawn mower to sell for $50 or less, would it matter to me that I would be selling
it to a Christian woman? If I had the choice to sell my small lawn mower to a Christian
woman as opposed to say, a Buddist man, would I choose the Christian woman? Better yet, what if the ad had
said, "Muslim woman needs a small refrigerator" or perhaps, "Atheist needs a small dehumidifier." Would I rush to sell my
small appliances to the Muslim woman or the Atheist--or would I, instead, hang on to them, hoping soon to see a similar ad
from a Christian woman?
The Christian woman's ad, of course, is absurd. What is scary, however,
is the fact that in her pursuit of a small lawn mower she actually thinks saying she is a "Christian" has
some kind of relevance to the matter. One can only shake one's head at a so-called "Christian" whose misdirected
sense of her own religious importance has caused her to announce on Craig's List that she is a Christian and in need of a
lawn mower. Perhaps she thinks that those of other religious beliefs do not have grass that grows. Or perhaps she thinks the
title bestows upon her some extra consideration or honor. Or perhaps she doesn't have a clue what it means to be a "Christian,"
and therefore panders it about like it's some kind of spiritual calling card for free goods and prizes. Perhaps she is hoping that someone, knowing that she is a "Christian," will sell her a $200
lawn mower for only $50. Who knows what her reasoning was.
No one has more respect and admiration for Jesus than I do. He was
a man who figured it all out and what's more important is that he applied it, he lived it. Notice that I said he was a man,
not a God. Christians, of course, would quickly disagree with me. They worship Jesus as a God, but few FOLLOW Jesus. Few can
do what Jesus did, despite his saying "that what I do, you can do, and more." I can't imagine that Jesus would have
ever placed an ad for a lawn mower, with a footnote saying, "Oh, by the way, some think I am the son of God. So, does
that entitle me to 50% off?" Jesus would have simply thought that the grass would be cut or believed that the grass
would not grow--and, lo and behold, it would have obeyed him. Jesus knew about creating his own reality. Apparently,
the Christian woman in search of a lawn mower doesn't--she can't pray her grass away.
Which leads me to the point of this blog--what does lawn mowers have
to do with Christianity? Nothing. Just as so many other things today have little to do with "being a Christian." Saying you
are a "Christian" really doesn't mean a damn thing. Saying it on a Craig's list ad for a small lawn mower actually makes a
mockery of what being a Christian really is.
Want to show the world you are a Christian? Then emulate Jesus. You
show the world that you have the Christ in your heart by trying to follow Jesus' teachings, Jesus' ways. If we all remembered
that, we'd all not only be better Christians, but we'd be better people.
Saturday, October 24, 2009 TOO MANY OF US ARE "ASLEEP AT THE CONTROLS"This morning's newspapers reported three stories with something
in common. Two pilots near Minneapolis flew right by the airport without landing. A couple in Sarasota, Florida, found
a 5-inch knife in their Subway foot-long. And a construction worker near Pittsburgh got killed when a concrete slab fell on
him after a crane hit the floor above him. What is the common thread between these three stories? In all three, someone
was "asleep at the controls." Not necessarily literally "asleep," but certainly distracted--non-observant--unfocused--not
paying attention to detail.
It is almost incomprehensible that two pilots, responsible for over
140 lives, could "get lost" and "out of touch" for over an hour in the sky. It is equally incomprehensible that a Subway worker
could be so "non-observant" that he would actually bake the measuring knife right into one of the foot-long buns. (You think
maybe he got an "important" text message at the time?) And one would hope that the operator of a heavy-duty crane, that can
demolish concrete pillars, would be 100% focused on where he was swinging that crane. One would hope. . . that's the problem.
It used to be a given that folks doing dangerous (piloting, crane-swinging) jobs and even not-so-dangerous (baking buns)
jobs paid strict attention to their tasks. After all, it was their job. It was not only a matter of pride, but it
was EXPECTED. Apparently, these days, that's no longer the case.
Who do we have to blame for this increasing "lack of focus"? Some might
point to the fact that we have glorified the individual to the point that it is "all about me," and no longer about the job.
Or about other people. Some might cite that we are in the age of information overload and excess sensory stimulation.
How can we keep focused on "boring tasks"--or even, why should we? Who wants to or can stare at boring airplane instruments
all day? Who wants to or can measure dough and put it into a baking oven all day? Who wants to or can keep focused
on crane controls all day?
This website is attempting to get people to notice God's signs. God
is placing markers in front of all of us each day to help guide us through life. Included is something called a "Personal
Connector Word to God." Yet, if we don't notice we've flown past an airport--if we don't notice we just baked a knife into
a bun--if we don't notice our crane is going to hit a cement pillar--how in the world will we ever notice signs from
our divine source?
It's time we awake. It's time we get back to watching the controls.
It's time we take our jobs seriously enough that we FOCUS on them. (Wake up, people; it's not all about being on American
Idol, being the next "balloon boy," or getting your e-mail read on Wolf Blitzer.) Perhaps when we start paying
attention to the DETAILS of life again--the BORING DETAILS of life--maybe we'll notice something even more miraculous. Something
even more fulfilling than getting on a reality TV show. Maybe we'll see God's signs. Maybe we'll re-connect with our divine
source. Maybe we'll experience real euphoria.
Sunday, October 18, 2009 WHAT'S WRONG WITH TODAY'S NEW AGE GURUS?What's wrong with today's new age gurus? It's pretty
simple, actually. GREED. And, unfortunately, it makes for bad publicity for the rest of the people who believe in and advocate for
"new thought" concepts.
The Sedona sweatlodge deaths of three people have put "new age spiritualism"
into the limelight and not in a good way. I have a feeling that James Arthur Ray (who headed this event) probably started
out as someone who believed in "new thought" spiritual concepts and only wanted to share those beliefs with folks looking
for a new way. He probably wanted to help others on their spiritual paths. But, somewhere along the way, he ended up in the
blockbuster hit "The Secret" and gained some fame. Suddenly, his little spiritual insight business became "big business."
Suddenly, he turned into someone who thought it appropriate to charge folks $10,000 a pop for his "great wisdom" and
for things like starving for a day and a half, then sweating in a tent. Somewhere along the way, James Arthur Ray's ego and
the fact that he could make millions got in the way of his spiritual messages. Too bad Mr. Ray didn't understand his own advice
about things like karma and the universe returning to you what you send out.
I used to be a big fan of Deepak Chopra. I found his books to be not
only fascinating, but life-changing. Here was a man, I thought, that had delved into the spiritual world and had found some
answers. A holy man, I thought. But, alas, this new age guru, just like James Arthur Ray, got a taste of fame and money. Suddenly,
he was sporting red-framed glittery glasses and appearing on talk shows. OK, that's OK, I thought--he's just spreading "truth"
and he's leading people on their spiritual paths. It is all good. However, when I caught ol' Deepak on a Bill Maher Show (late
at night on HBO) shortly after "The Secret" made it big, my opinion of him plummeted quickly.
You see, ol' Deepak got left out of "The Secret" movie. I suspect it
was because he wouldn't do it for no compensation, which apparently was required of all the participants. Deepak
apparently turned down the Secret folks, and now that they were in the limelight and he was left out in the cold, he got a
tad bitter. Bill Maher (who is an atheist and thought the "Secret" was nothing but bunk) invited Deepak on his show to help
him make fun of the Secret. Deepak was only too happy to oblige. (After all, I'm sure he thought, my followers would certainly
not be watching Bill Maher.) Well, maybe so. But Deepak didn't count on people like me. I was watching. There was this
spiritual guru helping Bill Maher laugh at the things in the Secret--never once admitting that he, himself, had advocated
almost all of its concepts previously in his own books! Maybe it was just jealousy. Maybe he was mad that he had written most
of this stuff before the Secret talked about it, and he was getting no credit. Sourgrapes, as they say. Deepak had been
left out, so he sat there in Bill Maher's studio acting like he hadn't pushed the exact same concepts himself for
years.
Even that wouldn't have been so bad, and certainly understandable,
except he said one other thing that made me take all his books to Goodwill the next day. When introduced by Bill Maher as
a modern-day prophet, Deepak grinned from behind his red glitter eyeglasses and said, "PROPHET? Yeah, Bill,
I'm a prophet, spelled P-R-O-F-I-T." That endeared him to Bill and Bill's audience. But, that ended my respect for Mr. Deepak
Chopra.
I could go on about other so-called new age gurus (Wayne Dyer comes
to mind) who have made millions and millions professing to have the "keys to spiritual awakening." (The fact that Dyer's wife
left him is perhaps a little clue that he's still missing a few keys.) Again, I think Dyer and others like him started
out with the right intentions, hoping to help humanity move to a new level of understanding and happiness. But, along the
way, the money and fame got in the way. In the end, these spiritual gurus not only turned out to have feet of clay and be
very human, they actually turned out to be farther BACK on the spiritual path than most of the rest of us. How can they lead
us when they have yet to apply the concepts to their own lives?
I wrote a previous blog entitled "What Would Jesus Charge?" and that
phrase came to mind again today when I read that a third person died at Ray's $10,000-a-person sweat lodge experience. The
sad thing is that these money-chasers are obscuring the true message of spiritualism, the true message of "new thought." This
is the exact reason we revere Jesus, the way-shower, so much today--more than 2,000 years after he walked the earth. Jesus
not only understood the concepts, he lived them. Apparently, given what we are seeing with the new age gurus
of today, that is a VERY HARD thing to do.
Saturday, October 17, 2009 RIGHT TURN ON RED or TAKING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITYHere in Florida you cannot assume if you have a green light
that you have the right of way. Not only do you have to be wary of opposing traffic running a red light (which is not an exception
here but rather the rule), now you have to watch for people making a "right turn on red." In the olden days, when people actually knew and followed traffic laws, "right turn on red" meant you
came to a FULL stop, and you only proceeded to make the turn if NOBODY WAS COMING FOR AT LEAST A HALF-MILE or so. Because
NOBODY WAS COMING, the law permitted you to make a "right turn on red." Today, here in Florida, it apparently has morphed
into this: you have as much right to the road making a "right turn on red" as the opposing traffic with the green light.
In fact, today, someone pulled right in front of me making a "right turn on red" without even stopping!
Because so much of the driving public refuses to learn and follow the
laws--because they will not take personal responsibility for their own driving--I now need to slow up at EVERY intersection
and look all ways if I hope to continue living. I won't even blog about the idiots who "text" while driving--the fact that
their lack of personal responsibility (doing something so pointless as texting) while driving, resulting in others
getting killed in wrecks is inexcusable. But, this "right turn on red and you be damned" attitude goes way beyond the streets
of Florida. It has seeped into almost all facets of our daily life.
This week I had to call my bank up north and freeze all my accounts.
Why? Because the bank was taken over by another bank and they mailed me a packet of information that not only contained all
my current account numbers, but all the numbers for when the "switch" occurs. On the OUTSIDE of the envelope, they actually
put something to the effect that "We're getting ready to change your accounts. Important information inside. Open immediately."
They might as well have put a red flag on it saying: important information to steal. They compounded their
stupidity by using an envelope with a cellophane address viewer. When it got to me, the cellophane had been stripped off,
the address viewer was torn to the side, and it was obvious my account information had been taken out, copied, then slid back
in. And WHY would a bank do something so STUPID in this day of identify theft, you ask? Well, I asked them that and their
answer was worse than what they had actually done. This is how they justified their stupidity. "We have to put that on the
outside of the envelope or people will think it is junk mail and just throw it out. We don't want people to throw out important
stuff." So, because they have customers too irresponsible to open, read and sort through their OWN mail, I have to suffer.
Because of the moron customers who take no personal responsibility for their OWN mail, my mail has to have a red flag on it
saying: STEAL ME, IMPORTANT INFO inside. Because of them, I have to be inconvenienced making phone calls, stopping accounts,
and changing numbers.
Then there is that family with the kid and the balloon. Because they
don't watch their own children, because they are daft enough to blow up a homemade balloon and tether it poorly in their back
yard, because they were on a reality TV show and get some kind of kick out of being eccentric and in the limelight, the rest
of us have to pay for it. How? By a whole afternoon of all the TV stations covering it and pre-empting the news that REALLY
matters in this world. By our tax dollars paying for police, rescue vehicles and helicopters chasing a balloon with no one
in it. By the endless interviews and coverage of a family of idiots who think, somehow, that they and their antics are of
interest to the rest of us. Once again, no personal responsibility. The father, supposedly discovering that his 6-year-old
might be in a balloon 5,000 feet up in the air, calls WHO first? A TV station. Why do I know that this same guy throws out
his mail without opening or reading it? Why do I know that this same guy makes right turns on red in front of opposing
traffic that has a green?
I used to be astounded by people who sued McDonald's when
they poured hot coffee on themselves. I used to fume over the coverage and accolades given to risk-takers with no common sense
who climbed mountains and then had to survive in snowdrifts for days when they fell (while expensive tax-payer-funded
rescues had to bail them out). I'm tired of hearing about folks who bought houses they couldn't afford or who ran up credit
card debt into the thousands just because they could and gee whiz, no one told us we couldn't afford it.
It's time that each individual take personal responsibility for his/her
own actions here on this earth. That means being considerate of OTHERS who are sharing this earth with you. It means not always
getting your way. It means there is NOT a good excuse for every moronic thing you do. It means saying you're sorry or SAYING
"I take personal responsibility for what happened" is not enough. People need to start making real amends for their mistakes.
It means stopping and NOT pulling out into traffic when you DON'T have the right-of-way. It means resigning from your
job when you cause a scandal. It means accepting your burn when you are clumsy enough to spill hot coffee on yourself. It
means getting fired when you are a CEO that was head of a company that just went belly-up and got bailed out by the government.
It means NO BONUSES for doing nothing. It means NO JOB for what you did do!
What does this have to do with spirituality? Well, if we ALL
ARE ONE, then we have to stop thinking that our actions only affect ourselves. What you do, affects me. What I do,
affects you. We have to start taking personal responsibility for what we are doing! The day of the "right turn on red" needs
to come to an end.
Monday, October 12, 2009 IT'S NOT THE CAR; IT'S WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN IT THAT MATTERSTuesday's contest theme at Blogdumps is "What was your
first car or favorite car?"
My first car was a 1972 powder-blue Volkswagen Super Beetle. If I had
gotten just the Beetle, as opposed to the Super Beetle, it would have cost under $2,000. (That's how they were advertising
them back then--can you believe it?--a car that was still slightly under $2,000!) I opted for the "super" model and
I think it ran my cost up to $2,200. It was my first real car after getting my first real job. I remember that
my father went with me to buy it and he got them to throw in the radio (that was an "extra" in those days) for no additional
cost. He was quite proud of that. My, how things have changed.
But, I really don't want to write about how much I loved my Super
Beetle when I was young--I'd much rather blog about what I did in that car--what many of us did in our cars--as
young people "back in the days." (Please, folks, get your mind out of the gutter--this is a spiritual blog. LOL)
In addition to paying attention to our driving (our parents and the
rest of society would have had our heads if we hadn't), there was something very different about our time in our cars alone
as young people back then. There were few distractions, except perhaps for the radio playing the latest Monkees song in the
background. (Most of us had the good sense not to blast it at 1,000 decibels because we wanted to be able to still hear things
when we turned forty.)
We had no cell phones. No one was going to interrupt our drive with
a call or a text. There was no one we desperately had to call or text back. We had no GPS that was going to announce
the next turn. There were no DVD players for children in the backseat, and no access to the Internet with I-pods and
blackberries and whatnot. All that was in that car was the AM radio, playing low like background music.
So what did I (and most other young people) DO while we were driving, you ask? We thought. We relished being alone with our own thoughts. We got in touch with our inner voice. We thought about how we felt, who we were, who we wanted to be, and what kind of mark we were going to make on the world. We thought about our job and how we might do it better. We listened to the silence of our souls, often reviewing the day in our mind, reviewing our relationships with our parents, our siblings, our friends and others. We struggled with our emotions. Sometimes we let a few tears out. Sometimes we just smiled as we watched the fall leaves blowing across the road behind us in our rear view mirror, feeling happy to be alive. Often, we used this "alone time" to talk out loud to God. We carried on conversations back then not with acquaintenances
and friends on a cell phone or strangers on Twitter--we carried on conversations in our head with God and our inner self.
This helped us understand ourselves and our world better. This helped us to sort out priorities and what mattered to us. This
helped us to see the big picture. We made decisions about our future. We planned. We dreamed. We prayed. We thanked God. Our
"car time" was better than "church time." A drive alone in the car renewed and refreshed us.
Cars have changed dramatically since the days of my Super Beetle--both in cost and style. But, sadly, so has the "sacred
space" that an automobile used to provide to its driver. Not enough people today take advantage of the time driving
alone in their car can provide them--the opportunity NOT to social network, the opportunity to "shut out the world" for a
brief time--the chance to "be still and know that I am God." It's not a car, after all, it's really a "church on
wheels." If you see it that way, your car can become something more than just transportation. It can become a haven.
Friday, October 9, 2009 OBAMA & THE NOBEL: GREAT EXPECTATIONSI'm trying to decide how I feel about President Obama getting
the Nobel Peace Prize. My initial reaction was to immediately think of the slogan from George Orwell's novel 1984:
War is Peace. After all, which country do we know that is currently waging not one, but two wars in
the world? And which president do we know, who promised us otherwise, is not only still engaging us in these wars, but
is considering escalating one of them? War is Peace? The head of these wars gets a Nobel
Peace Prize? Perhaps it should be awarded posthumously to Harry Truman for dropping the nuclear bombs
on Hiroshima and Nakasaki. You see my dilemma in understanding the logic of this whole situation.
But, of course, compared to George Bush, who began
these two wars, President Obama does seem like a man of peace. He talks peace. He talks global unity. He's traveled to other
countries, apologized, promised, and raised expectations for peace. The man sure does talk a lot about peace and
unity--yes, he talks. That's another thing that is troubling to me. It's been nearly a year now and President Obama is still
talking. But nothing has changed.
Do they give awards for that? Do they give awards for good intentions
and talking these days, instead of for accomplishment and action? Well, yes, I guess we do that all the time nowadays. Children
were raised on the idea that they should get trophies for sports just because they showed up in a uniform. Contestants
on reality shows expect adoration, publicity and money for no reason at all; most have no talent and got there on
a "fluke"--not through hard work or skill. In practically every field, incompetence reigns because there are no longer
rewards for a "good job" or termination for a "bad job."
We no longer reward accomplishment, we reward outrageousness.
We no longer reward skill, we reward marketing. We no longer reward doing things to help our fellow men, we reward slickness
and greed and audacity. We no longer invent and manufacture things to make money (too much like hard work), we make money
by investing and/or cheating others (easier and slicker). So, why
not give the Nobel Peace Prize to a guy who hasn't really done anything yet, but who offers us instead "great expectations."
It makes perfect sense when you look at it that way.
It also makes perfect sense if you believe in the concept of "creating
our own reality." That's the part that has me confused, I guess, because I do believe in the concept of "The Secret," "The
Law of Attraction," and that what you focus on, you eventually get. Every spiritual bone in my body tells me that we
have to have "great expectations" for peace, unity, and harmony if we are to ever manifest it in this world. We have to think
about peace, expect peace, live peace. Yes, we do have to talk about peace. We have to believe that this
man, Barack Obama, will talk about peace so much that eventually he will manifest it in his own actions and in the world.
This is the spiritual principle--the universal law--that I and many others have come to believe in. Great Expectations eventually
become one's Great Reality. So, despite my initial misgivings about President Obama receiving this most prestigious
prize for peace-making (which to some seems like putting the cart before the horse), I applaud the committee's choice!
If we all act as though Peace is coming to the world--whether through Barack Obama or through any other means--it WILL come.
That's how the Universe works.
Congratulations, President Obama. May your Great Expectations
turn into our Great Reality!
Monday, October 5, 2009 FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROADThis Tuesday's theme at Blogdumps is "What is your
favorite movie?"
It is no surprise that my favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz.
How could it not be? It's a spiritual tale that teaches us so much about life. Here are just a few things we can
learn from The Wizard of Oz.
This is the 70th-year anniversary for The Wizard of Oz. It is easy to see why this classic movie endures! Friday, October 2, 2009 MICHAEL MOORE'S "CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY"I just came back from seeing the first matinee showing
of Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story," which opened today in theatres across the country. Whether you are Republican
or Democrat, whether you are rich or poor, whether you are currently employed or unemployed, whether you own a house or not--you
should go and see it. And after you see it, start to question. Question everything, and start thinking for yourselves!
What scares me most about our current society--and this younger generation
in particular--is that people no longer seem to "question" anything. They don't question what they see on TV, they don't
question what their government is doing, they don't question what they are told in church, they don't question what they read
in books. They either a) ignore what is going on in the country, b) are too busy and focused on themselves to see what is
going on in this country, c) are more concerned with being entertained than in thinking, or d) all of the above. Because of that, our democracy is turning into something else right before our
blind eyes. And frankly, folks, it is scary. Scary.
Question. Question. Question. Use your own mind, your own heart, your own moral compass. Come to conclusions not based on what the skewed media tells you or even what Michael Moore tells you--come to conclusions based on what your gut, your inner self, your spirit, your God tells you. When you do, it won't match up with what is going on right now in this country. Jesus would not be happy with America right now. And frankly, neither am I. Today's news, by the way, told us that Chicago got the least number of votes from the Olympic committee out of the four
world sites being considered. Oprah and Obama's influences apparently are not what we all think they are. The United
States can no longer bend the world to its needs. This is just a small sign that our thinking in this country needs
to change. No, we are no longer "the best country in the world." Saying it doesn't make it so. Other countries
have better health care, manufacture more goods, lead in the sciences, have a better quality of life, and have better moral
compasses than we do. It's a simple fact. That's what happens when your focus turns to materialism and greed. That's
what happens when the big story in today's news is that David Letterman slept with co-workers and was being blackmailed
instead of the fact that unemployment was up again! Wake up, America!
The words "patriotism" and "capitalism" have taken on an air of authority. You dare not question them, some say. Neither words
are in the Constitution. And I say, question them, question them, question them. They are being used to benefit the few. If
you don't start questioning and thinking for yourselves, you may soon find that the Constitution will go the way
of your pensions.
For many of us, the day we really started to question our government came during Katrina. Who ever thought in America
we could watch fellow citizens herded like animals into an arena, dying from lack of water or help. But we watched it. And
what did we do about this appalling event that surely couldn't happen in the United States of America? Very little.
It's time people quit listening to Rush Limbaugh and Wall Street and the banks and the Treasury secretary. It's time
people start listening to the still small voice within themselves. When they do, they will know that our great country is
going to hell in a handcart. When the thinking of the critical masses change, the situation will change. Change your
thinking and help make the world a better place.
Go see the movie. Watch. Question. Pray.
Monday, September 28, 2009 WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE CHANGING AUTUMN LEAVESTuesday's theme for the Blogdumps contest is "My favorite
thing about Fall is . . . ."
My favorite thing about Autumn has always been the changing leaves.
Having been raised in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, I was used to seeing the brilliant reds, yellows and oranges
that paint the landscape each fall. Yet, no matter how often I saw the leaves turn color, I always found it amazing. Now that
I live in Florida, I truly miss this artistic display by nature.
We all could learn a lot from leaves. When a leaf first
sprouts out on a branch, it is barely noticeable. Just a little green bud--not much to speak of.
As spring goes on, the leaf starts to develop into its full shape,
with all the leaves on the tree looking pretty much the same. They all blend together in a green blur to make a tree--as
do the leaves on the tree next to it, and the tree next to that.
During summer, the unremarkable life of the leaf continues. The green
leaves flap around in the sun and the wind and the rain, mostly going unnoticed. For it is not until the autumn of its
life, that we start to notice the individual tree--the individual leaf. It is not until autumn that the leaf undergoes
a miraculous change. Suddenly, the bright red maple leaf no longer looks like the stately yellowish oak leaf. Suddenly, the
leaves on the same tree do not even have the same hues--some are deeper in color, some are mottled, some are curled. Autumn
allows each leaf to come into its own--and some actually look like they've caught "on fire." Autumn is the most
beautiful period in a leaf's life--the most colorful, the most brilliant, the most dazzling.
People in their 60's and 70's, I think, are a lot like Autumn leaves.
This is their time to be the most colorful, the most dazzling, the most brilliant. It is their time to show off their colors,
fly high in the wind, and display a change that can leave the world breathless. All stages of a life--whether it
be a leaf's or a person's--are important; but, there is only one stage that provides an opportunity for brilliant change.
Autumn.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 BOO-BOO'S NEED TO BE UNCOVERED IN ORDER TO BE HEALEDIt's a simple lesson but one we often forget: in
order for a wound to heal, it needs to be uncovered, exposed to the air, and given a little time.
I got a "boo-boo" on my right thumb this week trying to twist the hose
off of the power-washer. It wasn't a big "boo-boo," but it was bleeding and in an awkard spot. I should have taken the
band-aid off immediately when the bleeding stopped, but, as I said, it was in an awkward spot and I hated to keep thumping
it. So, I left the band-aid on and kept putting new ones on after each band-aid got wet (which, being on my thumb,
was quite often).
After a few days, when preparing to add yet another new band-aid,
I noticed the thing wasn't really healing. The thing was still red and raw. Not only that, the skin around it was getting
white and slimy. Where's the scab--where's the crusty stuff that closes up the "boo-boo" right before the new skin comes
in and makes it all go away forever? Then it hit me: this thing is never going to really heal unless I uncover
it and expose it to the air--until I quit babying it and let it dry up naturally--until I let time and God and nature do their
thing and miraculously grow a whole new layer of skin over it. I was impeding the healing, not helping it. You can overuse
band-aids, you know.
This, of course, is not simply the story of my "boo-boo" thumb. It
is the story of every emotional and spiritual wound that any of us might be carrying. Emotional and spiritual wounds
are just like physical wounds--in order to heal, you need to open up about them, uncover them, and then let God and time and
nature heal them for you. You have to trust enough to take your emotional and spiritual band-aids off. You have to let God
in, just like letting air in to heal a physical wound. God will dry up your emotional "boo-boo's" if you just let Him/Her
do so.
I'm happy to report my "boo-boo" is gone. The best thing I did
was to remove those band-aids. It's the best thing you can do, too--if you want to grow spiritually.
Monday, September 21, 2009 I JUST COULDN'T FACE FACEBOOK!Well, I lasted on Facebook for less than 2 weeks. I just
got done removing myself permanently from the world's biggest "social community," and frankly, I'm breathing a whole
lot easier.
I only joined Facebook a couple weeks back because my younger
sister forced me to--she literally registered me on it when I was up north visiting with her. She apparently enjoys Facebook--finding
old friends, sharing pictures of her family, hearing from obscure classmates, and being part of this massive global database.
I, however, have been stiff-arming Facebook ever since
it came into vogue because I could see no reason in the world to dig up my past (and the older you get, the more past you
have to dig up) or share pictures with people I couldn't simply hand them to or directly email them to. I'm a private person
and I wanted to keep myself that way. However, my sister (who is 14 years younger than me) insisted on dragging me into
the 21st century of intrusive technology. So, there I was--on Facebook!
It wasn't so bad at first. I used the privacy settings to keep everyone
except my 3 friends (pitiful number, isn't it?) from seeing anything on my page. Not that I had much to see. I cleaned
off the pictures my sister so freely posted on my wall (I learned quickly that others can post on your wall, and
everyone can read what's on your wall by default), and the only information on my profile was where I went to high school
and college. That seemed benign enough. Or so I thought. Little did I know that Facebook takes it upon itself to "recommend"
friends to you based on where you went to school and who is friends with your friends. Little did I know that there are actually
people out there trolling for old high school classmates from 40 years ago!
When a friend I hadn't seen in over 30 years made contact, it
was kind of nice. She and I use to "run together" when we were in our early twenties and I lost track of her years ago. But
then on the same day, I got two "friend requests" from two guys that were in my high school class--40 years ago! These were
two--how shall I say this?--"unpopular" blokes that I honestly don't recall ever having said two words to the entire time
I was in high school. I don't say this judgmentally, because I wasn't exactly Ms. Popularity myself back in high school. The
point is that we had no history. I was not friends with either of
these guys back then--in fact, we were hardly even casual acquaintenances. Yet, here they were--40 years later--sending me
a "friend request."
What to do? I didn't have the heart to "reject" them 40 years later
when so many had rejected them back in high school. But what were they thinking? Why would I share the details of my current
life with someone who didn't even know me 40 years ago, let alone now? It seemed so bizarre to me. So bizarre, in fact, that it made more sense just to remove myself from Facebook than put either
them or me through this awkward situation. And it was apparent to me, the way Facebook works, that this situation would be
repeated many times over with others.
People seem to accumulate friends on Facebook as if it means something--almost
as if you are showing the world, "Look how many friends I have." I find this rather sad. Friendship should mean more
than adding a face to your Facebook page and letting someone see all the intimate details and pictures of your life. Friendship
used to mean a real one-on-one relationship with another human being that you shared life experiences with out in the real
world. (Or, if you did meet virtual friends, you got to know them over time through in-depth emails and long-term sharing.)
Because of this, a person tended to be SELECTIVE about their friends. Friendship grew over time; it was tested. It was
a "give-and-take" between two people--it was daily support. Now, in the virtual world, folks seem to be going for QUANTITY,
not quality or depth. Again, I find this rather sad. Have we, as
a human species, become so isolated and so dependent on technology now that we can't or won't go through the efforts of making
new friends in our real current life, our current time, and our current surroundings? Are we so unhappy with what is around
us now, that we are seeking something from the past instead?
One of the "truths" of spiritual growth is an acceptance of the
here and now. Spiritual growth requires that we focus on the present, with an eye to the future. We accept our "current good"
and we "expect even better good ahead." The only way to spiritually grow is to deal with the experiences, people and dreams
in your current real life. There used to be a saying, "Look
to the future and not to the past, To find those things you want to make last."
The Universe (God, Karma) does indeed have a sense of humor, though.
In talking with my younger sister about my exit from Facebook (she's the one who told me how to remove my account permanently),
she confessed to her own recent bad experience with Facebook. Her 14-year-old son had told her that he had joined Facebook
and wanted his mom to be "a friend." She was even helping him move some of his I-tunes over to his page. That's when she got
a look at his profile.
Here, on Facebook. was her 14-year-old son listed as an 18-year-old
who was interested in "Women"! On top of it, his actual address was in plain sight! She went ballistic, and after raking the kid over the coals, permanently deleted his account.
A week later, when she calmed down, she quietly asked him why he lied on his profile. Why would you say you are an 18-year-old
man interested in women? Billy looked at her sheepishly and said, "Mom, you can't join Facebook if you are under 18. You have
to say you are 18 to get an account. Then, this box came up and said, "I am interested in. . ." and it gave you only two choices:
men or women. So, I clicked on "women," because I didn't think I should click on "men." Then it asked for your address, and--"
Well, you can see how Facebook tricked my nephew into answering things he shouldn't have. Facebook is like that. They make
it easy to get on and difficult to get off. They trick you, encourage you, suggest to you, coerce you, and manipulate you
into putting more and more and more information on their site. And sharing it with every Tom, Dick and Harry out there.
George Orwell in his book "1984" warned us all about this sort of thing back in the 1940's. Apparently, it's time to
dust off that book (you remember books, don't you?) and either re-read it or, for this new generation, read it for the first
time. As for me, I shall remain "FACE-less."
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