Tag: miracles

Monday – Funday

Late last year, I purchased these two adorable cicada figurines at two separate times from two different antique dealers. I don’t know why I purchased them, other than I was attracted to them. I keep them by our front door. I feel like they are lucky and mystical. My husband has often commented that he thinks they are cool looking, and that was that . . . or so I thought. Today I read this article that came out in the news two days ago:

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/cicadas-2024-emergence-periodical-brood-2024-map-cicada-rcna134152

It appears that two broods of cicada are going to emerge in the United States this year, at the same time. This is so rare that the last time it happened was in 1803. Now, you are probably thinking, “Wow, what a strange coincidence!” But I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe in the adage that coincidence is really just God/Universe being anonymous. I believe that we are all so intrinsically connected to everything that happens in nature, throughout all of time, but we have lost sight of this fact, because we are focused on all of the wrong things. We have lost sight of the magic of it all, despite the fact that it is all around us, doing its thing, despite the stupid, pointless games we play. Look for the signs, friends. The real signs. The signs that make you feel deeply connected and contented and comforted and wise and knowing and intuitive and assured. The signs are everywhere. Look for them and trust them.

Another great article I read this morning is this one:

https://www.axios.com/2024/01/20/single-women-homeowners-us-map?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

This article states that in the United States home ownership is now majority female. Why is this important? According to this article, only sixty years ago, women couldn’t get a credit card or a mortgage without a male co-signer. I’m 53. Thank you to the generations of my mother, my mother-in-law, my grandmothers, my aunts, my older friends, and all the women of those generations who stood up for change. You made this right. My daughter and all of the women of her generation can’t even begin to fathom the world that you came up in. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. (and ladies, let’s remember their sacrifices, and let’s not go backwards.)

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Here is the question of the day from 3000 Questions About Me:

2691. Do you prefer hot tubs or steam rooms?

Soul Sunday

Good morning. I hope that most of you got to enjoy another delicious hour of sleep. This morning I just read an uplifting story about a little boy who felt instantly connected to an unknown woman at a hometown stadium. He asked his parents if he could go talk to her, and they allowed him to, and the woman and the little boy sat together and laughed and talked as if they had known each other all of their lives. I had a similar experience this past week that I am still trying to wrap my head around. It was one of the most blessed experiences of my life and an answer to prayers. Look for the signs, friends. They are everywhere. Here is my poem for today:

“Adira”

Meeting you was surreal.

I recognized you the moment I walked into the room,

And you recognized me.

Although we have never met on this plane before.

Never have I felt so instantly connected and seen.

Never have I felt so united in Truth.

Never have I felt so instantly full of peace.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Miracles abound.

Your name means strong, noble and proud.

A feminine word for God.

You are your name. You exonify it.

But that is beside the point, isn’t it?

The point is, all of us are the nameless points of Light.

The nameless points of Light which forms All That Is.

All That Is Love. Love is all that is. Love is.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Soul Sunday

“We live on a blue planet that circles around a ball of fire next to a moon that moves the sea, and you don’t believe in miracles?” – Unknown

Sundays are devoted to poetry on the blog. Poetry often speaks to the parts of you that you keep hidden, even from yourself. I recently discovered a young, modern poet who is taking the poetry world by storm. Her poems are stirring, moving, sometimes disturbing and uncomfortable, and at the very least, make you think. Here are a couple of poems by Kate Baer seen below. If you are like me, you will find her words intriguing enough to seek out more.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

No Mud, No Lotus

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

I was surprised to read about the death of Thich Nhat Hanh. (pronounced Tik-Nat-Hahn – I just looked it up). I am embarrassed to admit that I believed that this Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist and sage writer, had passed on long ago. Why does it always feel like the wisest people have long past on, before our own lifetimes? I think that it’s hard to recognize true wisdom in living people because we are all flawed. We have the tendency to give our mistakes the glowing glare of a spotlight, and thus, they often overshadow our finest attributes. Once someone has passed on, we are more prone to focus only on the good that they brought into this world. Why do we struggle with doing this while people are still alive? I think if we were kinder in our valuations of our own selves, it would be easier to focus on the best in others.

Thich Nhat Hanh said this:

“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh

When I read this quote, I couldn’t help but think about all of the hype about the new metaverse. I even read that someone was going to have their wedding in the metaverse. I’m all for progress, but are we skipping over experiencing our own incredible world for “greener” pastures? Have we really soaked up this experience enough before searching for new worlds? Do we appreciate the miracle of our every living moment, right where we are? Along these lines, Thich Nhat Hanh also said this: “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh

I’ve read that if you smile for no reason, your body starts loading up on happy endorphins. I’ve also read that if you smile before picking up a phone call, the listener will hear your smile in your voice. There is nothing wrong with having “a stupid grin” on your face. In fact, “stupid grin” is a stupid oxymoron. Smile. Smile often.

“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh

You are beautiful. Know this. Treat yourself as such. If you love yourself, you will give your best love to others.

“I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh

I hope that we are all able to savor every minute of today. Today is another miraculous gift, given freely to us to experience as deeply as we allow ourselves to experience it.

“Around us, life bursts with miracles–a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear a bee flying or a thunderclap; a brain that ponders a speck of dust as easily as the entire cosmos; a heart that beats in rhythm with the heartbeat of all beings. When we are tired and feel discouraged by life’s daily struggles, we may not notice these miracles, but they are always there.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh

RIP, Thich Nhat Hanh

I’m Grateful

RIP John McCain –  Thank you for your service to our country.

I don’t ever want to politicize this blog.  I’m not a very politics oriented person.  However, I will always be grateful to those who serve our country.  Thank God for all of the people who are willing to do the jobs that make my life and the life of my family members easier, safer and free.  Thank you.  Thank you.   Thank you.

John McCain was a prisoner of war for many, many years.  He was tortured, starved and isolated.  I’m in total awe of people who can go through personal tragedies of that magnanimity and come out the other side still being able to function, serve and grow.  How inspirational!  What a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit!

I read once an interview with several former prisoners of war.  Despite the horrific torture, pain and solitary confinement many of them had gone through, it was almost unanimous that the starvation was the worst part of their ordeals.  I’ll probably enjoy a nice brunch with my family today.  I don’t even think about the idea that there won’t be enough food for me and my family to eat today or any day.  What a blessing that is in itself!

I guess sometimes you don’t know how good you have it in life, until something is taken away.  All of the things that we take for granted on a daily basis are in fact accumulations of blessings.  Thank God for the farmers and the harvesters and the truckers who drive the food to our stores.  Thank God for the people who work in our stores to give us access to the harvest.  Thank God for our ability to pay for our bounty and for the physical ability to ingest our food and savor its multitude of flavors.  Meals are just one of our many, many daily blessings.

I hope that today we are all blessed with a sense of utter gratitude for the many, many miracles that will form this just one single day in our lives.  I am incredibly grateful for you, readers of my blog.  Thank you for making me feel that what I have to say has worth and is of interest to read.  Every act of kindness is an act of love and in the end, love is really what it is all about.