Re: Daily Bread
 

LIZARD Medicine
Teaches listening to intuition in dreams, visions and perceptions throughout the day. Be aware of the emotions surrounding your impressions. Aids in illuminating fears and doubts and how to change them. Lizard can teach about objective and compassionate detachment. Do you need time to rest and relax or step back from a situation? Is it time to move forward? When lizard appears, listen carefully to your inner guidance of feelings and emotions. He will give strength in taking the "next steps".

Re: Daily Bread
 

New Beginnings

A few weeks back we participated in the highly publicized "Color Run". 3 teens and myself. A niece, a daughter and a girlfriend of theirs. They had a slumber party the night before and when I woke up sleeping girls were all over my living room in a sea of junk food wrappers, empty potato chip bags and their shorts. My niece who has very long legs was hanging half way off the recliner where she was trying to find some peaceful sleep. I had to dodge may way around them to get to the kitchen at 4am for my coffee.

I woke these children up at 4:30 am, where they excitedly began to put their white clothes on and prepare for the happiest 5k on the planet. The drive was an hour and half trip. It rained, not only did it rain...It rained hard and consistantly for hours. As we arrived near the entrance of the motor speedway everyone else did too at the same time. Traffic was MAD..it was a brutal, long, slow drive into the event. 10,000 people showed up in the rain.
On the way in I saw these stickers on the back of vehicles that read: 13.1 and 26.2.

see photo: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7HPDEiQkq9...929_070727.jpg

I found out later they are called marathon stickers, you wear them proudly when you join the big leagues of running. I want one. ;)

Once we finally got parked, the scene was amazing. Big people, little people, young and old were walking in white in the rain to the start line. The music was loud and everyone was in great spirits even though it was raining so hard we were all completely soaked from head to toe.

They started us off in groups of 1000, we all got into this little area where the MC would get everyone pepped up and screaming. We ran out of the starting gate on to the motor speed way without a car. HA! As we get to each check point in the rain...people were attacking us with paint. The girls had paint in their hair and up their nose. It was hilarious. I have never seen them laugh so much..In the RAIN. Keep in mind these are very self conscious teens. :) They loved it and I loved it.

As we approached mid way...we witnessed a boy about 12 doing belly flops in the side of the track in large water filled grassy areas. And suddenly grown men began to run down the hill, land on their belly's and slide as far as they could go..IN the RAIN. Of course the girls had to try this a few times. There is a moment when I thought to myself this is crazy...it is pouring rain..people are putting paint all over us...there is water up to our ankles in some areas and we are having a ball with thousands of other people. INSANE!

When we finished the course, we had to participate in the EPIC finish where you get in this very large crowd and throw the powder paint up in the air to create this massive rainbow cloud before it all drops back on to your body. The MC had the music LOUD...and he counted us down. Everyone opened their pouches of color and began to throw it wildly in the air. For a moment all you can hear is laughter, screaming, people jumping up in the air with hands high up over their bodies. I couldn't see anything but colored dust..but I totally felt the love and the beat of the music. It was fantastic. The Kids absolutely loved it and we had a beautiful day in the rain. It didn't stop raining until we got in the car to go home.

We had to stop in Walmart on our way home for a blood sugar monitor for the teen that was with me, she broke her's in the chaos. She has Type 1 diabetes and has to wear a pump on her stomach to give her insulin when her sugar gets too high. So we entered the store looking like we have been swimming in paint and mud. People stared a hole in us and some even turned up their nose. I just pretended nothing was wrong and did what I had to do, Quickly. ;)

All in all it was a blessed day, and the girls love 5k's! They realized there is a new world of fun out there to participate in for a wonderful cause. The funds went to a local charity for people with disabilities called the "The ARC" spelled with a "C" instead of a "K". I thought that was funny considering that it totally flooded that day.

This morning I have a very important meeting to attend, I am meeting with the coordinator for Alzheimer's association to volunteer for our first 5k event. We are going to help organize and coordinate a 5k. They welcomed my daughter as well with open arms and said they would love to have her join in. She is at such an influential age right now. At 14 is where I took that turn and began drinking and smoking. I actually got drunk for the first time at 14.

So I read that if you put 5 trusting people in your kids life, 5 people they can talk to besides you. There is a less likely chance they will go down that hard road of development. I want to show her how she can have fun without getting drunk or smoking or doing drugs. She can have fun and do something good that will leave her feeling proud of her accomplishments and surround her with loving, compassionate people.

Its going to be a new journey. Going to make some new friends and have a lot of fun benefiting the community.


"If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give."

George MacDonald


I hope you have a Blessed, Amazing Day full of "little miracles"! :)

MC = Master of Ceremonies get it..MC instead of emcee ;)

Re: Daily Bread
 

"More Valuable than Gold"

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

"The Wise Woman's Stone"
Author Unknown


"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give."
.
Kahlil Gibran


"The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but reveal to them their own."

Disraeli

Re: Daily Bread
 

Just Sharing something shared with me...

I had this patient one time that had pneumonia, she was an elderly widow in her 80's who lived alone even though she did have grown children. She had a long list of chronic health problems. Upon her discharge I handed her 9 new perscriptions to have filled. She already had 9 that she had to take daily. Now this is 18 perscriptions she must keep organized and pay for.

She went through them and said.. I can fill this one and this one. The rest I can't afford. She is only ONE out hundreds of thousands in the same boat.

http://www.alz.org/national/document...efactsheet.pdf

Just some thing we can all chew on today.

Re: Daily Bread
 

The Meeting


When we entered the cafe, he was the only guy in dark purple sitting with a laptop. I knew he was my guy. We talked for an hour and during this time we learned a lot about each other. I also fell in love with the cause, more so than before. One thing that I thought was unique and beautiful about their walks is that they have each participant write their story on a large flower. The volunteers then plant the flowers in a large garden so everyones stories can be shared and read.

http://addins.whig.com/blogs/between...zheimersAA.jpg

Anyway...I signed on. He wants me to lead a huge upcoming walk next year with his guidance of course. Its going to be so much fun and it requires a lot of creativity...I love creating things. ;-) I think this is a great thing to be a part of considering I have been directly effected by this disease. Funding goes to research and to help support groups and educators for family members in the midst of this disease. Hoping for a cure in the future so other families don't have to experience this kind of pain.

Something magical happened in this as always. Earlier I almost cancelled the meeting or postponed it. I wasn't really into the drive, but something kept pulling me to go. While talking to him he said that he had 10 on his list and only 4 were willing to meet with him. He said that one of his main volunteers dropped out and left with a ton of material. Now he is stuck with a large upcoming race and not enough help. So I am glad that I went, God was pulling me there the whole time.

When he asked me to lead, I was hesitant because I have no experience, and I thought...can I really pull this off? Even though I was a little unsure, I told him the truth and told him that I am willing to give it my all. After we ended the meeting my daughter and I went to the book store, they had a massive book store there. She just finished reading the second book in a Alyson Noel series, So I bought her the 3rd book. I try to keep her encouraged with reading.

While I was in the store I looked up and there is this card in front of me that read: "Trust in God" in huge letters with a beautiful painting on the front of it. I bought the card. This is what it says:

God knows your every thought,
your every sorrow,
your deepest desire,
and your every need...

God never leaves us where he found us.
He desires to show us
great and marvelous things
through patience, trust, and a willing heart.
If we just believe, HE will LEAD the way,
unlocking what once seemed impossible.

God knows who "He made you to be.
The good work he started in you he will complete.
That is HIS PROMISE.

Put this promise in your heart.
Reflect on it every day.
If something comes along that makes you doubt,
remember the words written on your heart.

God knows his plan for you
a plan that will bring you happiness, prosperity,
and the fulfillment of your hearts desires.

You are blessed, yesterday, today, and always.
God knows what he is doing,
even if sometimes we don't understand.
He only asks that we trust Him.


Ummm....unusually long card to just pop in one's path in the book store, don't you think? I thought so too. That is why I bought it...and I have it to share this morning.

God Bless! Have a fantastic Sunday! :)

Re: Daily Bread
 

Ghost Writing

You know, I always wanted to be a ghost writer...its so much fun being mysterious. But those who really know me, know me. ;-) Ha! My true friends.
Doesn't matter how long friends are absent from one another's presence if it's true friendship you take up right where you left off, this brings tears to my eyes because there is no greater gift in life than to know you are loved for the real you.

We put on masks through out our life to please and to not offend, especially if we are in the minority with our true feelings. And many times we are in such a state of focus for pleasing others we lose who we are and what really makes us happy and brings us real joy in life.

I finally had to ask myself, Do you really want to sacrifice your joy just to be in the presence and accepted by a certain social group, or do you want to be happy and surrounded by those who love you unconditionally? After years of being a part of the first solution (miserably pretending). I finally chose the second solution.

It took years to figure out who I was, what I liked and didn't like. I am still on the journey. I don't think we ever really arrive and that is the fun of it. I do know now how important it is to be honest about the growth process because within it you meet some amazing people who truly care about your well being.

I also had to ask myself, Why am I so worried about being accepted by certain individuals? Why do I pretend to be someone I am not to gain approval? Then I looked in the mirror and I realized that, In reality it has nothing to do with the outside, it all reflects the inside of me. How I feel about me when I am alone is a direct reflection of how I am treated in the outside world.

Others feel my energy and respond or are drawn to what I am in alignment with. If it is self hate, I am going to attract that exact pattern in my life that will reflect how I feel about myself. They will hate me.

If it is self love, to know I am a child of God and that He loves me enough to have His spirit live inside me and guide me, to become His temple of dwelling. Then others will feel and be drawn and respond to that energy. "true love".

You ever wonder why some are said to be charismatic (everybody loves them) and you see others that seem to be surrounded by bullies (them against the world) Take time to talk to them and really get to know who they are on the inside, what their internal dialogue is in their mind. It becomes so obvious.

The key is changing the thought pattern, of self hate to self love (not narcissim (separation from all) but pure love (unification with all) there is a fine line between the two.

I have also learned that the first step in changing that in someone is encouraging them and motivating them and loving them for who they are. The exact way that you change it within yourself.

I feel like a ton of bricks have been lifted off my back, things are improving everyday. Life is Amazing! Happy to be ALIVE!


"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and "head" and hands." Robert M. Pirsig


Have an Amazing MONDAY! It is going to be miraculous... :)

Re: Daily Bread
 

While I was putting in my contacts, I had the thought about Psalms 22 which was written by David and Jesus lived the role...to teach. (Separation vs Unity)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.[b]

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.[c]
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people. (thought process)
7 All who see me mock me; (external environment)
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.


Just some thoughts..Its an interesting read..the entire Psalm. He shows us how to go from separation to unity in the Psalm and with what he DID! ;)

Re: Daily Bread
 

Retrain the Brain

I had to sit in silence for a moment this morning because I had no idea what to write about. Usually it will come to me in the night as I sleep or simultaneously as I am writing. This time it came to me from a moment of silence.

It was an image of a woman, Louise Hay. She was a turning point in my own personal journey because she created ways to help retrain the thinking process through affirmations. Affirmations are just sentences that are positive about the internal self, they highlight areas in your life that you want to improve upon and banish shadow beliefs once the shadow beliefs are identified. It takes a lot of internal work and awareness of your own thoughts and belief patterns. It can make you quite emotional at times. Lots of tears if you have as many shadows as I did lurking in your crevices. I am sure there are some of the little devils still lurking that I haven't found yet. Its a game of hide and go seek.

In Psychology I learned that the term for this is "cognitive therapy". The idea is with consistent repetition of affirmations eventually you accept it as being true and we all know what happens when that occurs...magical things begin to take place in our lives. I am living proof. I always experiment on myself first.

Also in addition to the affirmations you can create a photo book to reinforce the affirmation process. It's the same as praying. The bible states we should pray without ceasing. David prayed 3 times per day. Jesus prayed often and said what you ask for will be given to you. But faith and belief is required to allow it to come to pass in the physical. That is what many of us lack is trust and belief and faith.

You ever notice how they play commercials selling products over and over in on television and when you find yourself looking for that particular item, you think of one certain brand. The very brand with the most hype behind it because you have learned to trust and believe in what they are selling. Then you buy it and it becomes in your "physical" possession. But in the beginning it was just a thought and an image on television not physical at all.

The more you advertise and push something no matter what it is, people buy into it. It works the same way with your own internal dialogue its all about energy and alignment.

Here is an example of one to repeat: "My creativity is always in demand."

I have her book called "Experience Your Good Now", it came with a CD that helped me so much understand this entire process. One thing that I have used in that CD that really made a huge difference when things begin to go wrong in my life is to stop and say, "All is Well and I am SAFE."

http://www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=4846

This woman was a huge help in my life and I recommend her to everyone, she teaches to love to heal internally in a healthy way and her life's purpose and work in helping others is amazing. I admire her and hope to follow much of her lead in my own life.

Norman Vincent Peal says to find scripture in the New Testament and saturate your mind with it. It is not the New Testament but I love the verse," The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he restoreth my soul, he leadeth me beside still waters, yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff ,they "COMFORT" me (he doesn't beat me with it). That is all I remember but it is one that I like to reflect on at times.

The point is as I grew up I had all these false beliefs in my mind about who I was and who I was supposed to be, it wasn't who I wanted to be and who God made me to be, because who God made me to be is who I wanted to be, it is our unique imprint its why we are drawn to certain things above others.

But experience with parents, family, friends, teachers, television, society molded me into something that wasn't really me, it was who I thought they wanted me to be. Make sense? God wants me to be who I want to be, who He made me to be by following my heart and trusting His guidance in my life.


He led me to her. ;)


Have a wonderful Day! :)

Re: Daily Bread
 

"You are not a helpless victim of your own thoughts, but rather a master of your own mind." Louise Hay

"Look at the problems in your life. Ask yourself, 'What kind of thoughts am I having that create this?'" Louise Hay

"No matter what the problem is, our experiences are just outer effects of inner thoughts." Louise Hay

"Your thoughts and beliefs of the past have created this moment, and all the moments up to this moment. What you are now choosing to believe and think and say will create the next moment and the next day and the next month and the next year." Louise Hay

"Be kind to yourself. Begin to love and approve of yourself." Louise Hay

Re: Daily Bread
 

"You cannot travel within and stand still without."

"Here is a youth hard pressed by poverty and labor; confined long hours in an unhealthy workshop; unschooled, and lacking all the arts of refinement. But he dreams of better things. He thinks of intelligence, of refinement, of grace and beauty. He conceives of, mentally builds up, an ideal condition of life. The vision of the wider liberty and a larger scope takes possession of him; unrest urges him to action, and he utilizes all his spare time and means, small though they are, to the development of his latent powers and resources.

Very soon so altered has his mind become that the workshop can no longer hold him. It has become so out of harmony with his mentality that it falls out of his life as a garment is cast aside, and with the growth of opportunities which fit the scope of his expanding powers, he passes out of it forever."

"Years later we see this youth as a full-grown man. We find him a master of certain forces of the mind which he wields with world-wide influence and almost unequaled power. In his hands he holds the cords of gigantic responsibilities. He speaks, and lo! lives are changed. Men and women hang upon his words and remold their characters, and, sunlike, he becomes the fixed and luminous center around which innumerable destinies revolve. He has realized the Vision of his youth. He has become one with his Ideal."



As a Man Thinketh by James Allen



As I read this again this morning I thought of spiritual maturity, those are the words that came into my mind. With spiritual maturity comes responsibility and accountability.

I also thought of acceptance of what has been given and how life changes so drastically when we get to the point of understanding.

It is so devastating to finally see the truth but then things seem to improve quickly and I remain steadfast in the hope that love finally seeps into all my crevices overpowering the rest of the lurking shadows of which I am very aware of at this point.

But hey, seeing them is the beginning of change for the better. We can't fix the problem until we identify it. :) That I can honestly say I have most definitely achieved this morning. I am not feeling well.


:)

Re: Daily Bread
 

The Maya

As in Micro, so in Macro. The whole exists within the minutest particle and the minutest particle contains the whole. The atom contains the universe and the universe contains the atom, and neither exists without the other. Creator exists within creation, even as creation exists within
creator.

- Brahmarishi Mayan, circa 10,500 BC



A few days ago I was ease dropping on Iggy (the dragon), He didn’t see me but I saw him. Instead of buying him a mate we bought him a mirror to help him with his social skills.

Well after several weeks of avoiding his reflection, he finally found the mirror and saw the reflection within it. He assumed that it was another lizard. I giggled because he stared at himself for the longest time thinking he was actually looking at another reptile just like himself. He didn’t try to attack it like he did my finger the other day. He only stared in disbelief.

He didn’t know that the outer reflection he was seeing was just an energetic illusion of himself. ;)
I said to myself, “Iggy, at this moment every move you make is reflected back to you in that mirror.”

Life is just that way.


Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
Albert Einstein

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." - William James

A dragon sees his own reflection:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dwcw...eature=related


I know that at times I forget these concepts in my own life. Its nice that nature can remind me how to get back on track. Animals are fabulous teachers. :)

Maya or Māyā (Sanskrit माया māyāa[›]), in Indian religions, has multiple meanings, usually quoted as "illusion", centered on the fact that we do not yet experience the environment directly but rather through some projection of it—Maya sustains the self by blessing self judgement of self creation. Māyā is the principal deity that manifests, perpetuates and governs the illusion and dream of duality in the phenomenal Universe. A mystic may attain self-realization observing the manifestations of Maya.[1] Each person, each physical object, from the perspective of eternity, is like a brief, disturbed drop of water from an unbounded ocean. The goal of enlightenment is to understand this—more precisely, to experience this: to see intuitively that the distinction between the self and the Universe is a false dichotomy. From the perspective of Maya any distinction between consciousness and physical matter, between mind and body (refer bodymind) is a kind of illusion of the unenlightened.


Have a Great Day! :)

Re: Daily Bread
 

Dragon Eats Fruit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWw8eqb0-oI


Mystical Creatures, They look so ancient.... Love them.

Re: Daily Bread
 

Changed Identity


Yesterday I was officially legally reborn, it was a moment where I said, "wow, that was easy".

In reality it wasn't, years of internal work went into what it took for that moment to physically manifest on paper with a judge's signature.

Now a totally new life begins and is unfolding magically before my eyes. Everything is just falling into place.

The more I work on my internal dialogue for the better, the better my life is getting externally. :)


"...by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness."

James Allen

"The may NOW weave in enlightenment and happiness."

Re: Daily Bread
 

"The Making of...Beautiful Relationships"

I read that in order to have friends... loving, genuine, true friends...we first have to be that way...ourselves.

To make friends we first must be a friend to others. We have to take the first step in connecting and in communicating with others.

But first and foremost we have to become our own best friend, knowing who we are and what we stand for and liking it. What is it that brings joy to our heart and mind and is pleasing to God's spirit within?

Then and only then do we develop the courage to step out into the world and meet other like minded individuals. "When God is for you, who can be against you?"

Life changes for the better.

I have learned that if I am pretending to be something I am not, to please others and get acceptance from a crowd that is not anything like me, then it makes one more lonely and isolated than if they had no friends at all. It also makes my entire existence FAKE...and every time I look in the mirror I see a LIE. Its no way to exist.


I used to hate my own reflection, I found myself saying the most horrible things a person could say to themselves when I was alone. I hated who I was and the way I looked. Little did I know that the energy I was exuding attracted external circumstances that reflected it. And I wondered why do I always get into hurtful relationships? Why do I seem to pick the very people who hurt me and betray me and say horrible things to me? Now "I SEE"!

"Man stands in his own shadow and wonders why it's dark." ~Zen Proverb



I can now honestly say by the Grace of God, I love who I am becoming. I can look in the mirror and like who I see. It feels really good, its so freeing.


“I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.”
― Brene Brown


People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates. ~Thomas Szasz, "Personal Conduct," The Second Sin, 1973


"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." ~George Moore

Re: Daily Bread
 

I loved this writing about positive assumptions by Ralph Marston today. :)
It is just what I needed.



Positive assumptions

Assume the best, and then work to make your assumption true. Assume you can do it, and then go about finding a way to get it done.

Your assumptions exert a powerful influence on your thoughts, actions and perceptions. To make your life more fulfilling, make your assumptions more positive.

At any point in time, life has so many pathways to choose from that you cannot possibly perceive them all. What you will see are the possibilities you assume to be there.

That doesn’t mean those possibilities are imaginary. What it means is that those very real possibilities are discernable and available to you because of the assumptions you’ve made.

Negative, disabling assumptions lead you in the direction of a very dismal reality. Positive, empowering assumptions give you every opportunity to live a rich, fulfilling life.

Though assumptions don’t make your wishes come true, they can give you the perspective necessary for bringing your dreams to life. Assume the best, and you’ll encounter plenty of opportunities to make it happen.

— Ralph Marston