Memorial Day 2021

To all those Angels who sacrificed everything for this country, for the idea of this country and for what it meant to you...

Thank you.

Also, I am sorry. 

You would think that one common enemy would have brought people together, but we continue to be a work in progress. I am sorry for not working harder, for not understanding more, for being too busy, and for not being involved enough in our democracy's processes. May we all remember you with the deepest respect and move ourselves to action in renewed commitment to this same country that you died for. May we all honor you - better than we have. May we arrive ever closer to those ideas of liberty, justice and freedom that so many have strived for - and ultimately make you proud.

May our efforts show our gratitude and appreciation.

Love,

T 

Bleeding Heart

This past week, a sermon I had recently heard seemed to align with life in real time after I happened across this cute little flower, which I learned is called a "Bleeding Heart." It's so interesting to me when that kind of thing happens. The priest had been talking about an experiment with trees, and how we need to experience adversity or challenges in order to grow and become stronger. Apparently trees that were grown in a perfectly controlled environment were becoming weak and breaking because of an absence of wind. They needed to bend and respond to resistance in order to become strong. Like the trees, we all need to experience some level of stress for growth, and might come to appreciate the challenges that make us stronger. 

A "Bleeding Heart" seemed like a fairly obvious and straightforward parallel meaning. When I looked up the plant though, another layer of message came into focus. One of the main search results was "Bleeding Heart Care - How to Grow Bleeding Hearts." There's an actual "how to" instruction. It includes water and nutrient information but also: "Do not remove the foliage before it turns yellow or brown; this is the time when your bleeding heart plant is storing food reserves for next year’s growing bleeding hearts."

Fascinating. 

Click here for: article on gardeningknowhow.com

Maybe we could go a step beyond gratitude for the experiences that help us grow and even purposely allow a bit of stress, knowing that we will be better prepared next year for having gone through it. 

Keeping the faith...

Love,

T

Inch By Inch

Out with the old, in with the new.

Bye-Bye Old Car

It feels like a marathon. I am organizing my life. Every time I go through one box of papers, two or three more appear out of nowhere. This IS GOING to get done though. (If I say it out loud like that, my chances are better.)

#KeepGoing 

Bit by bit, everything will get done. I'm determined to make room for all the new things waiting just around the corner. 

Wait. That made me think of another song...

Have a great week!

Love,

T

Self-Talk

"Put that away!" 

He thought he would try bossing me around and quickly realized it was not a good way to speak to his mother. He tried to fix it by explaining that really he was just talking to himself. Then I pointed out that he ALSO has to be careful about the away he talks to himself.

It occurred to me that this is a lesson we might all take to heart. I've been guilty of excusing my own brusk    speech by virtue of the fact that it is the way I would speak to myself. I might happen to be one of my own worst critics. It really doesn't make a good excuse for speaking to anyone else with discourteous bluntness,  but WHY don't I try being more polite to MYSELF too?

I certainly don't have time for polite filters inside my own mind. I think, and I think fast - pulling no punches towards any kind of fragile ego. A lot of us can be quite harsh with ourselves. We have a lot to do and not enough time to do it. I get that, but we could ease up a little. Let's give ourselves a little break, take care of ourselves a little better, be a little sweeter to ourselves. I'm willing to bet it's going to show on the outside as well. 

I'll try it.

Love,

T

Just a Touch

It's amazing what we can accomplish when we stand in Love and speak Truth.

There are so many differing viewpoints, but there is also so much misinformation. People are easily offended when criticized, and addressing an issue which might result in conflict is an uncomfortable task. Do it anyway. Stand in Love. Say what you have to say. 

We are not perfect. We are sometimes misinformed. Sometimes we will be corrected and it might sting. Sometimes we need to correct others. When that happens, try not to make it sting.

I heard some very misleading statements from a trusted source and was not looking forward to the call I had to make. I knew they had good intentions. They just really missed the mark. The issue itself was one that offends me personally, but I had to put that aside and speak objectively. I made my position known but I did not speak with anger or outrage. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. They agreed with me! 

It doesn't always work out this way, but when it does... it refreshes the Spirit. 

We all have so much work to do. A little patience can go a long way and we need that. We need to be able to take each other's hand and work together - especially when we realize we are on the same side.

With Love,

T