The Choice is Mine

Today I am sharing with you a beautiful message from Alexandra Starr, it made my day and I am planning to commit it to memory. Let me know what it does to you. Have a blessed Sunday.

THE CHOICE IS MINE

I choose to live by choice, not chance.

I choose to make changes, not excuses.

I choose to be motivated, not manipulated.

I choose to be useful, not used.

I choose self-esteem, not self-pity.

I choose to excel, not compete.

I choose to listen to the inner voice, not the random opinion of the crowds.

The choice is mine, and I choose to surrender to the will of the Divine Mind, for in surrender to the will of the Divine Mind, for in surrendering I am Victorious.

~Alexandra Starr.

And What About Grandma

Time have changed so many things, one of them I believe is the way we see our grandmas. I remembered when visiting or receiving grandma at our home it was always a joyous occasion. I loved the way she listened to me and the special little things she would sometimes bring me, most of them were little and very inexpensive but just to know she thought of me was enough.

Life has become a place where you live where you can survive and not where you want to be. Families used to live closed to each other throughout their life and in that process they saw each other grow up and helped one another when needed. I won’t paint a rosie picture of the whole experience because sometimes there were moments you wished they were far away but grandmas somehow made things alright.

It breaks my heart to hear of grandmas being placed in nursing homes and then forgotten by their families. I realize that life moves so rapidly that before you know it your day is all gone; between work, house work, the kids, your spouse and all the activities you are lucky to have time for yourself. The days go by and grandma waits lonely in a cold room far away from all she holds dear, thinking that today maybe is the day she gets that visit, that call and nights fall down. Another day without you. She wonders why, how and for how long she will have to endure the pain and sorrow in her heart. Better days come to mind as her tears roll down her cheeks and wonder… If the grandma happens to be Hispanic and her kids moved to the United States now she has another barrier that keeps her faraway from her family, the language. It is so sad to see parents who replace their native language for the one they are living around now and don’t take the time and effort to teach their language to their kids. When grandma comes they can’t even talk anymore and they long to get to know them.

I thank God I lived in a generation that had the blessing to enjoy grandmas and that I had the chance to be with them a lot, I knew them and they knew me. They taught me their favorite dishes and made me my favorite food. I called them when I was far away and told them how much I missed and loved them. I also wrote letters to them. I played, I cried, I laughed and I grew to be who I am because of them. I learned by their mistakes and by their advice, and I was in awe when I heard all they went through. There is not a moment I did not want to be with them, even on their death bed and I will forever love and carry them in my heart.

So what about your grandma? Your kids’ grandma? Have you taken the time to talk or visit them today? Do you know she is waiting for you and no matter how long it has been she will still love you just the same as if you were there yesterday, even though you were not?

Crashing

Have you seen the tides in action? It looks like a gigantic washer that moves in all different directions at the same time. Dangerous, powerful, capable to change the landscape where it lands. It is the same that happens to us in life when we encounter unexpected situations after navigating in tranquil waters for a very long time. Weather is unpredictable and so is our life, that is why we should be prepared and not blindsided that all is rosy and perfect on this earth. I am always amazed to see how we manage situations that throw us out of balance; some of us manage to remain, others fall and get up, and others fall and never get up again.

In this fast changing world, especially after this horrible recession, that seems to cut deeper and deeper into people’s life and well being I can see a glim of hope. Anything is bearable with love because it helps us to see the good and it gives us hope when we have those we love around to support us. We can quickly see who is a true friend and who is just with us when we are on the top to have some fun.

How hard is it to recreate ourselves? As long as we continue to fight our instinct it will be almost impossible to recreate and to find the way out to many of our life ordeals. Today I heard about a friend who in desperation to generate income followed her instinct and in a few short weeks found herself in a very new terrain, full of excitement and support. The one who felt lost just a few weeks ago is now trying to catch up with all the massive action she should take in order to make her dream come true, because by taking action a lot of doors opened at once!

It is hard to stay focused when all the crashing, moving and changing is going around us but we must try our hardest to do so. Keep in mind the ideal and not the path because at this point the logical path will have nothing to do with the one you should take. I believe that at this point in time many new paths will present itself and we will have to make the decision to take one even if we have no idea what to expect. This is a big shifting time in history where new orders are establishing themselves and we can’t resist to it or we won’t survive. Open up your mind and senses and most of all utilize your talents to move forward. I will tell you right now that it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it!!

Standing Tall

Nobody said we need to be work shipped, honored, or adored but one thing I believe we all need to be is respected. Respected for who we are, what we hold dear and most of all respected as a human being. Everyone is entitled to that because we were created in the image of God.

When someone is disrespected normally they look for some way of retaliation and in that process they may even hurt those associated with them in order to cause even more damage. I don’t believe such behavior should go unpunished. Anyone who willfully look for ways to hurt others must be ready for the same. How could anyone in their right mind complain about the effects of a bad action without looking at how they whole thing started? With them. Now, I am not saying that I haven’t done any bad things in my life but I have tried not to do them intentionally.

Revenge is a strong word and one I don’t like to be associated with but many actions could be called revenge. Now, what I do believe in is in standing tall in the face of insults, humiliation and hurt. There comes a time when I need to stand firm on my ground and let others know that is not okay to disrespect me in any way, shape or form. Sometimes the measures that need to be taken in order for them to listen are drastic but the main thing is that they are crystal clear to the individual. If possible I would not like to remind them of the boundaries set forth in the discussion but I would not hesitate to do so if necessary. This is my modus operandi right now and it will continue to be. Passive no more.

What do you do to stand tall?

Expectations

Today I woke up with this in mind, expectations. I don’t want to have any, and I want to navigate my day according to the waves I encounter along the way. I did a search on the topic on my blog because I knew I wrote about this before and what I wrote still resonates today.

Here it is one more time, tell me what you think about expectations and the best way you go about it in your life. I wish you an unexpected wonderful day!!

http://clary.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/expectations-2/

Healthy Balance

It is a daily challenge, something that I really need to concentrate on as I move along the many choices I make along the way to find a healthy balance; body, mind and spirit. Wanting to remain in the present not letting the past creep on what it could be, but at times feels like a lost battle inside. Putting myself before God -tired, humbled, opened- helps lift the burden up from my shoulders.

Esoteric Realms

I yearn for silence, for solitude, for those moments when my mind is detached in such a way that is able to fly and go places I have never being and I understand in ways it was impossible before. It is a ray of light illuminating my mind, my heart and soul and then the thoughts, emotions, and words are free to flow easily. It hasn’t been the case for a long time now, I lost track of time in the middle of turmoil, noise and pain. I need to get it back somehow. I’m coming back to the original place where all seem to be so right and creativity flourished almost effortlessly. It is never in total isolation but in the sharing of like minds and thoughts that somehow sustain and inspire to create even more. It is to find that connection of the seen and unseen that completes the picture many times. I am not sure who would understand, perhaps only those who have experience or yearn to experience the same. I don’t believe it is a unique gift but it is something few touch upon because those few are the ones with enough courage to claim the space they need to experience it. It is not easy sometimes, especially when there are so many other things out of control and most of the time we want to control them. In the end the one who suffer is the one with their wings tied up.

Words are like the air I breathe, without them flowing I feel like dying. There are integral to my well being and my health, it is not good to bottle up emotions, anger and hate. A volcano can not be contained. I am afraid that is what I have done as the tremors shook deep within loosing up the soil and fragmenting what used to be solid. It is new terrain, one that I am sure in time can be even better than it was. Dreaming gives hope and refreshes the soul, it is something to look forward to even though we don’t know the way. It is taking one step at a time expecting to succeed. Not everything fall on a straight line, and everything that does not works out fine all the time, the more delightful rides sometimes are the ones on a scenic route even though it takes longer. I can’t keep starring at the many curves, turns and crossroads while I miss the view around me. I need to stop and walk slowly in order not to miss the details of what is trying to touch me and transform me.

I see an open gate, a cool fresh dawn before me and a inspiring breeze letting me know I am still alive. I close my physical eyes and open my inner vision, then I breathe in. The tension goes away and rushing through comes my long forgotten friend, inspiration. Where has it been? Why it took so long? Why did I let it go? Who said I could control my fate, or what others decide to do in the end? Who said I would never get hurt again? It was a really good try, a good run, one I thought I won but found myself instead with an empty shell. There is an ideal but never an absolute, there is always a way to find the way.

Your Light

Life has its ways to take us to places we never thought, to foreign lands and uncertain future. There is only one way to face to odds against us, with faith and hope. There is always a light somewhere even if it is far away from us, the ones who loves us provide that shine and we move onto the new path with support, with hope even with some of our dreams hanging from our hearts. Anything is possible when the slate has been cleaned, we have a chance to recreate our world, to dig deep and see what it is will take us there this time around and who are the ones that remain beside us. It is at that moment when sentiments dingle or are strengthen, when the love dies or grow, when hope flourish or dry out. What is true remains as we continue to look for that light while walking in the darkness.

The Way We Measure

We measure many things; our behavior, our talents, our tolerance, our kindness, our emotions, our love, our commitments, etc. As you can tell from my examples I am talking about our qualities or faults measure against someone else. I guess I never paid much attention to it before but lately it is really bothering me, perhaps because I can clearly see how short we all come to perfection, to that image we want to portray many times and that is very far from reality. I have never claimed to be perfect, good, talented, or anything like that. I do recognize some of my gifts but I try not to talk about it or compare myself to anyone. I do try to emulate good people even though I know I fail many times and come short to many of their best qualities and virtues. That is the reason why it really bothers me when someone goes into their high chair and hit their breast while they list the number of ways they are better than the person next to them for whatever reason. It bothers me because in the process they put down other individuals around them, it might not be intentional and they might not realize how the other person feels, but they do hurt and sometimes humiliate others.

This Bible verse says it clearly:

“He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you who hear.” Mark 4:24

And it has been in my mind for a long time. Every person is different and everyone will decide for themselves in which way to respond to different situations and responsibilities in their life even though you had the opportunity and privilege to raise or teach them. In the end it is on them and we get no more respect from anyone by telling others how good we are. Let’s learn to be humble and to keep our mouth shot most of the time, it will serve us well and let other instead tell us how good or bad we are.

Calming Down

There is so much pressure, worries and disappointments around us. Looking for ways to come to the center of all, where the spirit of God lies deep within if we let it helps to calm us and most of all gives us strength. I use prayer, meditation and music to help me get there, without it there is the possibility that I may go mad with all that goes on around me sometimes. Native music with flute is one of my favorites ever since I visited New Mexico seven years ago. Today I want to share some with you. I hope you enjoy it and begin your day relaxed and hopeful.