I wasn’t surprised to find a call tag on my doorknob that read, “Sorry, you were out when truck called.”  I wasn’t supposed to be home but I agreed to have a pile of goods at the end of my driveway for the charity truck.  A pile of too small, too big and too boring clothes and shoes had been growing in my garage over the last several months.   At work, several co-workers read the horoscope in the L.A. Times.  The majority are Capricorns, so they read that one and pass it on.  I’d stopped consulting horoscopes but will still listen in when a fellow Tauraen shares what’s up with the “Bull.”  One day, our horoscope talked about removing clutter, getting rid of old things and making room for new.  In this season of renewal, I heard a voice telling me it’s time to clear out.  So I called the charity I normally donate to to tell them that I had a pick up. Continue Reading »

You know those emails we all get, “Send this to 10 people and you will see something amazing or you may become rich or DIE!”  Sometimes these annoying chain emails contain some insightful messages, that you’d really like to pass along, not just to 5 or 10 people but to everyone you know.  Today, I received an inspirational email from a good friend.  The first sentence read:

“God doesn’t give you the people you want, He gives you the people you NEED   - To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be.”

 I thought it was a great message because for me it’s the Truth.  It reminded me of the Garth Brooks song, “Unanswered Prayers,” where he sings “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”  In the song, he was able to look back at how God’s plan had unfolded in his life.  The challenge for most of us is waiting for time to pass to see how an experience shapes us into what we’re meant to be.  As I pass along this message, without threat or empty promises of wealth, remember to be patient and trust God’s plans for you.

 ”Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

As some of you know, I love to drink Yogi Green Tea, from Trader Joe’s, not only because it’s oh, so delicious but because each tea bag comes with a thought provoking quote.  I love to sip my tea while pondering the message.  Tonight, the quote was, “The universe is the stage on which you dance, guided by your heart.”  It made me think about my heart and my heart’s desires.  Sometimes in the past, my heart has led me down the wrong path and I wish I listened to wisdom and not my deceitful heart.  “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?  I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

In today’s pop psychology people are told “follow your heart,” “if it feels good, do it,”  but I believe things can “feel” great yet still be wrong.  I really love the idea of the universe being our stage, I love the analogy of dancing for living but if I were to improve this quote, I’d say be guided by Love, with a capital L, Divine Love.  I know for me Divine Love will never lead me in the wrong direction, God will “search me…and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts.” (Ps. 139:23)

The more I trust, the better I understand I’m being led or guided by the best “dance” instructor there is and yes, the dance is a beautiful one.

“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.  Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;  And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.” (Psalm 107;1-3)

“Life is too short to make just one decision
Music’s too large for just one station
Love is too big for just one nation and
God is too big for just one religion” (Michael Franti)

Recently a friend and co-worker came into the office in a bad mood.  She said, “I had a terrible fight with my husband.”  The married women in the office sympathized, while the single ones were secretly grateful.  A little while later a bouquet of different kinds of her favorite flowers was delivered with a special note from her hubby.  When I saw them, I of course complimented them, smelled them and said, “Oh, ‘I’m sorry’ flowers, huh?”  She knew what I meant and said, “Yes,” yet her mood hadn’t improved that much.  I’m sure she wished the fight didn’t happen in the first place.   A much younger co-worker heard the conversation and added, “My boyfriend doesn’t believe in flowers or cards.”  We laughed and joked, “What do you mean he doesn’t believe in flowers or cards?  He’s just cheap.”  The laughing lifted my friend’s spirit a bit.  Continue Reading »

I was out of town so I didn’t watch the “So You Think You Can Dance” finale or results show until today. Even if I wasn’t out of town, I couldn’t watch the results episode because my favorite dancer had a dress rehearsal at the Thousand Oaks Civics Arts Center on Thursday. Matthew danced in his first recital on Saturday and as Mia Michaels says he was “A-mazing!” He impressed all our family and others who complimented him outside the venue. He said, “I have fans.” He sure does, he is my star! Continue Reading »

“Look a dime,” I said to my son and niece, as we strolled to the school yard. I expected the kids to act like fans fighting over a home run ball that gets knocked into the crowd. Instead I received a mature and loving response from my eight-year-old niece, who said, “You keep it, you saw it first.” Happily, I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Continue Reading »