PART 4 GOOD LUCK? BAD LUCK? GRATITUDE

It seems appropriate, this being the week of Thanksgiving, to pause and look at life from perhaps another set of eyes. Seeing things from another angle… a new perspective can turn what appears to be Bad Luck into Good Luck!

First and foremost, we need to let go of control! Scary huh! But once we can let go of how we think things should be and say yes to how they are, then we are free to live in a state of gratitude. And when we can be in gratitude… for everything... we begin to live life filled with passion and joy.

Secondly, if we can stay living in the moment, there can be nothing but gratitude because we have no expectations and no regrets and so it is easy to be grateful for everything… just how it shows up. We can begin to turn what could be perceived as Bad Luck into Good Luck! It's all a matter of perspective.

I'm grateful for YOU!

GRATITUDE SOMETIMES NOT SO EASY

As we near Thanksgiving our culture tells us that it is a day to spend with family and friends and to give thanks. Our religions tell us to give thanks everyday. But what happens on the days that there doesn't seem anything to be grateful for. I know, of course, you can always find something. 

I believe that everything happens in Divine Order, so even when things don't go as planned, I think it's to free up space for stuffed feelings and emotions to rise for healing and that something else is on the horizon that is BETTER! However, that doesn't negate the fact that some things feel, well for a lack of a better word, sucky in life.

I just helped one of my daughters move into her her studio in Oakland, a place she loves, a place that feels like home to her. (She went to college there.) Oakland, like all cities has good areas, not so good areas and up and coming areas, meaning people are moving into the not so good areas, buying and fixing the houses and claiming back life-giving space. The whole day that we were moving, she kept telling me not to leave anything in my car.

As you can imagine, making a decision to move and then doing it can leave a person wondering if they did the right thing, especially when the neighbors blared their music the entire first night! The next morning she went to grab a cup of coffee from the neighborhood shop and within five minutes her window was smashed and her backpack and computer were taken.

These are the times when it's difficult to find the blessings and things to be grateful for. 

With the people that I counsel, one of my issues with finding the silver lining in the clouds, (positive thinking) is that while it is absolutely imperative, (in its time) many times we gloss over the feelings that arise when the not so fun things happen. We just stuff them down, creating space for dis-ease to fester. 

These feelings are a gift. (There, there's something to be thankful for!) We have to feel what we're feeling. We have to talk about, analyze and see what other deep feelings and emotions space has been created for them to surface. Then, once that has happened and we've been truly able to let go and forgive, (A hint: it's mostly about forgiving ourselves.) then we can come to a place of real gratitude and thanksgiving. 

This is a beautiful short youtube you may enjoy. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXDMoiEkyuQ&sns=em

I am thankful that YOU are in my life!  

Waiting...God's Plan, gently unfolds!

As you may remember yesterday, I went back to the motor home with my tail between my legs when my plans for getting home didn't match God's plan!

We ended up the next day at the Crazy Horse Monument in, well, where ever the Crazy Horse Monument is, you know, next to Mt Rushmore! We are looking around, and my friend came to me and said, "You've got to meet this lady. She's moving into the second half of life and I told her about your being a motivational speaker...she wants to meet you!"

We found our way back to her and I introduced myself and we talked a little and then I said, "These are the 2 questions I ask myself. I find out what the longing of the soul and the true desire of my heart is when I answer them, because my perceptions no longer get in the way. 1). What would you do if you weren't afraid...what are you afraid of? 2). What would you do if it wasn't about money? "

My friend had already told her the story of her moving out of her house and purchasing her motor home and her desire to travel. Then I told her the story of my renting my house out (so that I was free for 6 months to go where life lead me and selling my car so I could take 2 classes that were interesting to me, one in San Francisco and one in Hawaii.
None of this came without my famous "panty twist" and and my usual arguing with God. I then told her of my "pushing" to get a flight home and when I finally stopped, I realized, it's not right and so now I'm just waiting and watching to see what unfolds.

She asked me, "Did you get a ticket home yet?" "No, I haven't." You'll never believe what she said next, "I am an ex flight attendant for an airline and I have one companion pass left to use. I have offered it to my children and no one has wanted it so far. I'll check once again and if they don't want it, you can have it!"

It's not all firmed up yet, and it doesn't matter if this works the way it looks like it might or not, the point is, I've seen it over and over, when I'm open and stop pushing....God's plan gently unfolds!

Feeling Love from a Tree ~ More Spiritual Support

I was at a point in my life that I was not allowing myself to receive any love or affection from any human being. I felt alone and isolated, angry and mad at the way my life was turning out! It absolutely was nothing that I had ordered! Wasn't God paying any attention to me? "Hey buddy", I screamed out one day to God, "Are you paying any attention....do you see what's happening down here!" Of course He was, and of course He knew...it was just different than I thought my life was going to look at age 50! Holy crap! 50! Aren't we supposed to be grandmas rocking the babies at age 50! Well the old 50's sitcom's on TV would have us believing that, I wasn't even married any longer, the children were all gone, my job was no longer my purpose in life... my life definitely didn't look like that of my friends or what I had thought it would be at age 50!

So I pulled away, from family, friends, etc and began a quest, a search for a new way of life, a new vision, a new purpose. It's been 8 years now, many adventures, many tears, a lot of kicking and screaming and staying in bed...to angry, depressed, mad...to even begin the day!

However during all this growing, there were also times of consoling from God, through his creation. I learned to be present in each and every moment, saying "yes" to what shows up, and I became sensitive to witness the support and love that God has sent my way, as unconventional as some may think.

On this particular day, I had written a note via email to a friend, that read, "Hi friend, I'm so happy to see that we are on the same wave length. I've been to the river a lot lately...45 minute walk, a goats path around the rocks, down a rope into a pool of water that is very secluded as the rocks are large and steep, an incredible canyon feeling...it feels like God has his arms around you there. I've felt the presence of the Divine in nature, but what was even more amazing to me; I took my friend to Vina, a retreat center,in Northern California and I spent several hours on the grounds myself before leaving. There was the most awe striking, magnificent, massive, Walnut tree with a beautiful slab stone bench underneath it which I laid upon, with my arms stretched out, opened wide,soaking up the majesty of this sacred tree. I felt humbled and privileged to be in the presence of such a glorious creation, who by the way has managed to survive, and flourish for over a 150years!

This selfless creation of God, reached down and gave me a hug. I felt more love and comfort from that tree than from any person. Tears began rolling down my cheeks, resting on the stone. I was once again reminded, we are all interconnected. We are all on this planet together. We all have a part in this life here on this earth together. When I was unable to receive love from anyone else, God used something I could understand, nature, his creation. Something non threatening to me and a place to begin to learn to receive and trust, I'd say, once again, but that isn't actually the case, to learn to receive and trust for the first time.

I later read from Francene Hart's Book Sacred Geometry a bit about trees. "Many cultures around the planet hold trees in reverence. Most cultures native to forested or jungle environments have elaborate myths surrounding the powers of trees. Some even considered them gods, or a means of traveling to the spirit world. Their names were many, Tree of Life, Tree of Knowledge, Tree of Perfection, World Tree. For the Maya, it is Raised Up Sky Tree.

All that is sweet, delightful and amiable in this world, in the serenity of the air, the fineness of seasons, the joy of light, the melody of sounds, the beauty of colors, the fragrancy of smells, the splendor of precious stones, is nothing else but Heaven breaking through the veil of this world, manifesting itself in such a degree and darting forth in such variety so much of its own nature. - William Law

Love and appreciate all that comes your way. From messy trees to bugs...anything you have a resistance to...that which you resist...will persist! I used to get irritated at all the pine cones that were dropping every where on my property! Until one day, I saw them as gifts, gifts of love from a tree that we were sharing the same space on this earth. Now with each pine cone I pick up, I send a heart felt "thank you" to the tree for it's sharing it's life's energy with me. After all, trees breath out what we need to breath in. How could I not be grateful for it's presence!

OK, so we didn't get to the manta ray's yet....absolute graceful angels of the sea! I'm going to try and put a clip on so you can experience it for yourself.....patience is a virtue:)