the realization that time does not exist . . . this morning, I heard someone on the radio talk about time moving forward in a linear fashion and I felt myself stand for one moment absolutely still. It occurred to me that we are "outcomes oriented" creatures -- we seek goals; some even seek the end of time, but there can never be an end of time for it does not exist; we are creatures of constant motion because we are children of a universe that is always moving, always expanding and it is as timeless as we are.

when I've released my need to have a specific outcome to anything; if I live with my intent to always bring my true eternal presence to life in each and every moment, then I am always creating, being, allowing, attracting, becoming everything I need to be and there is nothing that I cannot handle . . . look how well I've done so far!

(pssst . . . the same is true for you, too . . . just look at everything you have done so well . . . there is nothing you haven't handled)

Wow. I have to go with Harmony on this one. Pick a mirror, any mirror, take a look . . . there's the most caring person I know

Ownership of choice.

Who am I kidding? I can't answer this question. It is like asking the turtle to describe its shell: it is where I live -- it is how I live -- without it I would die . . .

community makes me face myself every single day, and if I see someone suffering, then I know I need to go comfort myself; if I see someone in need, then I know I must go give to myself; if I see someone lost, then I know I need to go find myself; at the same time, if I see someone happy, I need to celebrate myself; if I see someone laughing, I need to clasp myself in joy; if I see someone lifted into the Spirit of One that we all are, I need only smile and wait for that means, I am next.

Yes, of course there is a connection, but we are not always in control of the outcome of that connection. I am reminded of the time when my brother stepped on a needle just weeks after he had been drafted into the army and was about to be sent to Vietnam. The needle became lodged in the heel of his foot and required surgery to be removed. While he was under anesthesia, something about his lack of lung capacity made his doctor order a chest xray. A funny shadow on the xray revealed some odd stretch of tissue that had grown across his chest restricting its growth. He had to have surgery to get it removed and was declared physically ineligible for the draft as a result. My brother has less lung capacity and therefore less "health" because of that growth, but he has more life than Vietnam probably would have given him and he views that experience as extraordinarily spiritual. I know for myself that my body speaks to me, and it requires attention; those little cells are sending me messages just like little people and I have only my spirit to respond with.

I followed my path. It led me here. It led me to you. It leads me everywhere.

 

Yeppers. I would make it disappear . . . (frightening, isn't it). But just imagine what would happen if all the eletricity went out . . . and never came back on again. You'd find out what we already know but won't acknowledge: it doesn't exist anyway. The present money system is just a bunch of numbers we stick in a bunch of computers. Money represents the value we place on stuff and . . . um, people . . . and other living things. We'd have to re-evaluate what we value pretty darn quick and how we'd do that. It would be interesting . . .

this.

Jonathan's (aka "best boyfriend ever") house . . . especially (if you are under the age of 18 and unsupervised by a parent read no further) in the deepest night, in bed, when all is quiet and I awaken to find myself wrapped in the healing safey of his arms; it is one of the few times in my life that I have ever felt completely secure in the company of another

In saying "no" and deliberate, selective underachievement . . . these days, I am more and more content to explore my own selfish desires of personal internal growth and meaningful connection with others, and less pursuit of vanishing externalized goals and pursuits

That we only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough! (in honor of Sandi's friend, Bob White, who sounds like he definitely did it right.)

My favorite Christmas toy ever . . .

As a recovering Catholic, God has taken on different meanings in my life; I had the good fortune when I was very young of being introduced to the Roman Catholic mass in its original Latin and I remember often begging my mother to take me to church so I could sit and listen. I had a pretty good relationship with God, Jesus, Mary, and the Holy Spirit. We all spoke Latin. I didn't have a clue what anyone said and didn't need to. I felt loved. I felt as if I belonged. I knew I was home. Then Vatican II came along and I met a very different God. Things got so bad I had to make up sins so I would have something to confess on Saturday nights just so I could go to communion on Sundays, else, according to those nuns, I was going to hell. It has taken a lifetime to rediscover the Latin God who I loved, the one who lived in me and talked with in a language that required no words to be understood.

reading . . . sometimes I would even cheat and read ahead in the book we were assigned so I would know more than the other kids . . . I still do . . . I have already read all the books that haven't been written yet.

my granddaughter

Okay. I'll play along. Besides right here, right now, (and I have no desire to be any place else), and only if round-trip time travel is included, then I wanna see the dinosaurs . . . no stupid bones stuck in the museums (been there, done that). I want the real thing. Oh, and a box lunch to take along, too.

just a couple of minutes ago, responding on sandi's post

I cannot begin to know what true empathy is . . . I have failed at it so many times and let so many people down in my life for my lack of it. I think Mike (mikesjournal) has a good idea of it and Laurie and Just Me know it clearly for themselves, but even if I have lived through similar experiences as others, I cannot claim to know that I have experienced the same emotions, the same pain or joy, the same learning, the same unfolding. But I can claim the same human experience, because I am human. I can claim the same Oneness that I know we all belong to and have the right to be here the same as any other person. You cannot tell me what my experience is any more than I can tell you what your experience is, but it is inside this unknowing that we can find common ground and create our empathy.

I am already working on a second Master of Science degree (in counseling; I already have a Master of Public Health) and then I will work on the doctorate, but this is just the formal schooling with the degree. Like everyone else here on Gaia, I am forever enrolled in the school of life -- I wish I had learned how to be a better mother, I wish I could learn to love better; I wish I could learn to accept others, be wiser, make better use of my 20/20 hindsight; I would ask for life to teach me patience, insight, when to keep my mouth shut, when to speak up, and how to know that everything is okay just the way it is.

cheerleader

both health and well-being are states of being on a continuum; I think they can have different continuums (or is that continuui? oy -- this question makes my head hurt) anyway . . . I prefer to think of my well-being on a scale of being higher or lower and if on the down side, what I might be able to do to bring it higher and if that is even appropriate; sometimes, having my well-being on the lower side of well is a signal, an indicator for me to pay attention to something in my life that may or may not have anything to do with my health; the same holds true with my health; whatever is going on with my health may or may not be in my control and may or may not be an indicator of my well being; regardless, both require that I pay attention because they are me

Letting go of the need to control others or outcomes, accepting what is as it is, knowing that nothing has to happen because everything will.

At age seven, my best friend came to me and said she needed to pray but that her church was far away. She wanted to know if it was okay to pray at my church (we were Catholic) which was right across the street from where we lived. We asked my father who said, "sure, anyone can pray there." So, we went inside the church. She quietly said her prayers and we left. But as we were coming out, my friend's father came up to us, very angry. He yelled at her and told her never to do something like that again. She started crying and trying to explain, but he just dragged her away. I don't remember what religion she was but I remember feeling very bad for her. Up until that time, I thought everyone was "catholic" of some sort and it never would have occurred to me that praying to God in a building was a problem. Isn't God still the same God? Does it matter WHERE the praying is done? I never found out why my friend was praying but I so admire her for finding a way to reach out to God in that way. I am still learning about other religions and belief systems and confess that I am still just a little bit freaked out.

I live by the belief that whatever I pay attention to will grow. And that is about all I need to say on this subject today . . .

this question is worded like there is certainty in life . . . the only certainty there is in life is that life changes . . . all the time . . . everything . . . constantly; thus, life is uncertainty; I am living it right now. Bring it on.