Back 2 Blogging?!?

Everything seems to go in waves, times of quiet and times of chaos. It seems like now is the time for quiet contemplation, study, reorganization and regrouping. I always feel at times like these, that it is the building of momentum to an impending change, I don't know what it is...all I can say is...I feel a change coming and I will welcome whatever it is with open arms.

Doggy Dynamo!!!

Cousin Alma took a trip up to Northern California and asked if I would like to take care of her puppy, Snoopy, she was tentative, but I thought that was more of a maternal instinct issue. She then advised that Snoopy has been to obedience school twice, because he flunked the first time...hmmm...things to ponder. She dropped him off last Tuesday on the 10th around 5:00 PM, he was happy, excited, and energetic, running around our yard as though it was his own personal playground.

During his stay, I can only describe it as...complete aboulance, making the "Energizer Bunny" seem as though it is on Valium! Snoopy was precocious, curious, mischievous, and cuter than all get out!!! He is a mixture of Maltese and Pomeranian and has a cute over bite, which doesn't stop him from trying to put everything in his mouth, chewing on things, and loving to play tug-of-war.

This happened to be one of the busiest times for Bob's business, so trying to make DVD covers or anything else was quite a challenge with Mr. Furball Energy Man flitting from here to there.

All that said, I felt like a new Mommy getting up several times a night, making sure little guy got taken care before anyone else, and although he exhausted me I fell in love with him over and over again because he was so cute.

In the end, Alma picked him up on the 16th, Monday afternoon, and although I had fun with him I was so pleased to return to my peaceful, quiet, and routine filled life. Everything comes down to comparison, Bob and I had been thinking of purchasing another furry baby or two, and now...we think that life is pretty good as is!!!

Against The Grain Going Against What Is Popular

Just because an idea or way of doing things is popular doesn't mean it's right for everyone. However, part of the way that something becomes popular is that many of us don't take the time to determine what's right for us; we simply do what most of the people we know are doing. In this way, our decisions about life are made by default, which means they aren't what we call conscious decisions. There may be many other options available, but we don't always take the time to explore them. This may be the result of feeling overwhelmed or pressured by family, peers, and humanity at large, to do things their way, the way things have always been done. Regardless of the cause, it is important that, as often as we can, we decide for ourselves what to do with our lives rather than just drift along on the current of popular opinion.

It is not always easy to make decisions that go against the grain. Many people feel threatened when those close to them make choices divergent from the ones they are making. Parents and grandparents may be confused and defensive when we choose to raise our children differently from the way they raised us. Friends may feel abandoned if we decide to change our habits or behavior. Meanwhile, on our side of the fence, it's easy to feel frustrated and defensive when we feel unsupported and misunderstood simply because we are thinking for ourselves. It can be exhausting to have to explain and re-explain our points of view and our reasons.

This is where gentleness, openness, and tolerance come into play. It helps if we are calmly persistent, consistent, and clear as we communicate to those around us why we are making the choices we are making. At the same time, we have the right to say that we are tired of talking about it and simply need our choices to be respected. Our lives belong to us and so do our decisions. Those who truly love us will stand by us and support our choices, never mind what's popular.
[I receive a "thought for the day" on my E-mail, and thought this article was quite timely.]

After 9 long years, and the last 3 years of wanting to attend the local Interfaith Symposium, I plan to attend this years 9th Annual Interfaith Symposium. A bringing together a variety of faiths so we can better understand the various members of our community and ultimately my hope is that the old adage of "United we stand divided we fall" will come into play where we understand one another and are lest apt to judge and more importantly work together for a more cohesive county and global outlook in the long run.

The following is the write up from our local newspaper pertaining to last years gathering:
8th annual Interfaith Symposium in Bakersfield Posted on Wednesday, 09/28/05 - 10:09 PM
By MARK BARNA, Californian staff writer e-mail: mbarna@bakersfield.com

Posted: Friday, September 23rd, 2005, 9:55 PM
Last Updated: Friday, September 23rd, 2005, 9:55 PM

As Bakersfield's population continues to grow, so will the need for interfaith dialogue. Joining the legion of Christians in the city will be more Jews, more Hindus, more Sikhs, more Buddhists and more Muslims.

Understanding one another's religion goes a long way toward engendering an openness among people of different faiths, say organizers of the Eighth Annual Interfaith Symposium, taking place next Saturday at the Beale Library downtown.

Speaking at the event will be representatives of four of the five major religions. Attendance is free.

The theme of this years event, which is sponsored largely by members of the Hindu Temple of Kern County, is a look at the contributions Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi made to spirituality and interfaith dialogue.

Representing Hinduism at the symposium are scholars Bharat and Nilima Bhatt of Massachusetts.

“I will talk about how a person's relationship with God influences how they relate to society and to people of other faiths,” Nilima Shukla-Bharat said.

Speakers will also discuss the similarity of religious precepts found in each of the world's faiths. “Each religion teaches us to love one another,” Bharat said. “And each tradition brings a different perspective that contributes to the idea of love.”

Barry Goldner, president of the Temple Beth El congregation in Bakersfield, will talk about Judaism.

“My experience with the various religions,” Goldner said, “is that the core values generally appear to be pretty similar. And I appreciate the fact that this program gives everyone an opportunity to offer their perspectives.”

Bharat Bhatt will be speaking on Ghandi, who fervently studied the world's major religions. The Indian leader developed an ecumenical sensibility toward religions early in life through his Hindu upbringing, a tradition open to other faiths, Bhatt said.

Ghandi also taught of the dangers of a consumer society and the need for nonviolence and for harmony with nature.

“Ghandi represents the genuine feeling of all people of all faiths,” Bhatt said.

Also scheduled to speak are Ranjeet Singh on the Sikh faith, David Bulbchum on Buddhism, the Rev. Kimberly Willis on Christianity and Daaiyah Islam on Islam.

Website construction...

After haranguing Bob for over two years to bring his website into the Millennium+6 I am finally masterminding some of the details I would like to implement, and doing a lot of research so his business won't look run of the mill, but also won't be so avant guard that people visiting the site will wonder what the product is.

I imagine this could be fun and a wee bit challenging to touch upon the right balance of professionalism and preservation of posterity.

I will keep you posted.

Saturday Laugh Fest with The Girls...

Plot Summary for
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Summary written by Jim Beaver {Internet Movie Data Base}

Olive is a little girl with a dream: winning the Little Miss Sunshine contest. Her family wants her dream to come true, but they are so burdened with their own quirks, neuroses, and problems that they can barely make it through a day without some disaster befalling them. Olive's father Richard is a flop as a motivational speaker, and is barely on speaking terms with her mother. Her uncle Frank, a renowned Proust scholar, has attempted suicide following an unsuccessful romance with a male graduate student. Her brother Dwayne, a fanatical follower of Nietzsche, has taken a vow of silence, which allows him to escape somewhat from the family whose very presence torments him. And Olive's grandfather is a ne'er-do-well with a drug habit, but at least he enthusiastically coaches Olive in her contest talent routine. Circumstances conspire to put the entire family on the road together with the goal of getting Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine contest in far off California

MY DAY IN REVIEW:

I haven't laughed this hard at a movie in...well...I can't recall how long it has been! Not recomended for children under 16 because the topics will prompt conversations, and the language is very, very colorful!!! Initially the movie sets more of somber tone, which hooks you into caring about the main characters, then 'life happens' and that's when the story becomes both bleak and optimistic, funny and sad, brave and bold, moreover, the acting was superb. You didn't feel as though you were watching actors but getting an inside glimpse to a frazzled family. Okay, okay...enough about the movie...but I really enjoyed my belly laughs!

It was a 'feel good day' partly, because today I met with 6 other 'girls' that I worked with for ten years and we are able to get together every 1 1/2-2 years or so. A couple of the ladies I see on a regular basis, everyone else's schedule doesn't permit. The seven of us watched the movie, laughed a lot, then went to lunch and laughed some more, shared some of our recent happenings, (but you know when you get 7 women together at one time you have at least 4-5 conversations going on simultaneously ), however, we reminisced about some of the fun times, we griped about some of the monotonous tasks, but mostly discussed some the things we missed about working together. All in all, with the movie and lunch we spent 4 hours together, assuring one another we will do this again soon...I just have to say, "I'll believe it when I see it, but I hope we manage to do this again soon!"

Dog Sitting...

This is Brandie, I had the pleasure of taking care of her, while her Mother, (owner), had to go in for some medical testing. What a sweetie she was! I miss not having a furry baby around the house, who knows, perhaps sometime soon!!

Books, Magazines, & Other Media...

I recall reading an article about 12+ years ago, (when I was dating), that a prospective partner will size you up by the reading materials that you have on display in your bookshelf.

The article comically advised if your shelves are filled with self-help books such as: "MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS", "THE RULES: Time-tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right," & "SMART WOMEN, FOOLISH CHOICES" ... your date with Mr. Wonderful will most likely me your last!

This made me think of the variety of books that am drawn to, and how people have such a diversity of tastes, opinions, and standards, how is a person perceived by the books, magazines, and articles they read?

Because I am inquisitive about world religions, mythology, and philosophy (all topics that are hot beds for debate), I am reluctant to house my books in plain sight for visitors to 'size me up' according to their principles, or to open the door to a 'war of words' so to speak.

Because we reside in a very fundamental Christian community, it isn't too far fetched to think of the movie premise of, "Footloose", and see that a variety of books pertaining to world religions could be perceived as being 'secular','of the world,' or 'a need for witnessing.'

When in fact I am of the mind that without looking into a variety of subjects we can become narrow-minded, dogmatic, and judgmental, I don't want to be any of these things.

I love that my family shares a love of reading, knowledge, and most of all I respect their courage for divulging their reading selections.

1. Name one book that changed your life:

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell


2. One book you've read more than once:

The Wisdom of the Ennegram by Don Riso & Russ Hudson


3. One book you'd want on a desert island:

The Self Sufficient Life & How To Live It by John Seymour & Deirdre Headon


4. One book that made you laugh:

Seinlanguage by Jerry Seinfeld

5. One book that made you cry:

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom


6. One book you wish you'd written:

The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis


7. One book you wish had never been written:

Not familar with oppressive writings, but I would concur with my sister-in-law, Sarah, Mein Kampf would have to be on this list.

8. One book you're currently reading:

Working with The Law by Raymond Holliwell


9. One book you've been meaning to read:

I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being A Woman by Nora Ephrom

10. Share with your favorite people:

Bring on the sheep...

I have never counted sheep to get to sleep, but currently I am rethinking this possibility.

Bob attended a four day out of town seminar series and I decided to stay behind to take care of some of the have to's that have been plaguing my mind.

After dismantling my office, bankers boxes filled to the brim of old paperwork for shredding, and a heap of items I no longer have use for; I implemented my 'cardio program' of going up and down the stairs, until I surpassed the fatigue level into sheer exhaustion and then proceeded to get my second wind....problem being I have been averaging only 3-4 hours a sleep a night for the last week.

How can you turn off your brain? I tried listening to soothing music, have had the room quiet trying to get lost in the sounds of the oscillating fan, and tried mental imagery of what I hope my office will look like when we eventually paint and I have reorganized everything. NOPE...I start to dose off and then it is like a light switch has been turned on and my brain is reactivated on all the items still on my to do list.

So, as a last resort I say, "Bring on the sheep!"

I just read this and thought..."Yes!"

Different Ways Of Navigating
We're All In The Same Boat...

We're all in the same boat. We just have different paddles, and perhaps we find ourselves on different rivers. We all live in human bodies. These are the vehicles in which we move through our world. We are all made of flesh, blood, and bone, with brains, hearts, and lungs to power us. Our paddles-the tools we use to move through the world-vary, as do the bodies of water-the environments-in which we find ourselves.

Some of us use our high IQs to get where we want to go. Some of use our smiles, others use kindness, a gift with language, or athletic ability. Some of these qualities we were born with and others are skills we have learned. Considering this metaphor in light of your own life can be very enlightening. What tools are you using to get from point A to point B in your life? Chances are, you and the people you know have used many different tools in various combinations throughout your lives to get where you needed to go. Just as with oars or paddles, a balanced approach is best. If you rely too much on one thing, like beauty, to open doors, you fail to be well-rounded and you may eventually lose your equilibrium. And if you lose that one quality, you have no paddle at all. This is inspiration to develop multiple tools to navigate your world.

Some of us may be moving along paths that are like rushing rivers; others may be on a large, still lake. We have all felt, at one time or another, tossed about on a stormy ocean. Through all this, we are never really alone, even though it might seem that way. There is inspiration all around us in the form of other people making their way through the world, in the very same boat.
Remember to look around you for role models, companionship, and encouragement.

Other's quotes, truth's from my heart...

MOTHER TERESA QUOTE'S...beautiful truisms!

It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing.
It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.

Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen,
for God speaks in the silence of the heart.

If you are humble nothing will touch you,
neither praise nor disgrace,
because you know what you are.

Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure
as long as you have done your best.

There is only one God and He is God to all;
therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God.
I've always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu,
a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.

If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive.

We can do no great things;
only small things with great love.

When a poor person dies of hunger,
it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her.
It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to
give that person what he or she needed.

Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen,
for God speaks in the silence of the heart . . .

It is not enough for us to say: "I love God," but I also have to love my neighbor.
St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God
and you don't love your neighbor.
How can you love God whom you do not see,
if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live?

I see God in every human being.
When I wash the leper's wounds I feel I am nursing the Lord himself.
Is it not a beautiful experience?

Do not wait for leaders;
do it alone, person to person.

If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.

There is a terrible hunger for love.
We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness.
We must have the courage to recognize it.
The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.

The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give.
But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom.
It is not a mortification, a penance. It is joyful freedom.
There is no television here, no this, no that.
But we are perfectly happy.

If we pray, we will believe;
If we believe, we will love.
If we love, we will serve.

You and I, we are the Church, no?
We have to share with our people.
Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing.
Jesus made it very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.Give a glass of water, you give it to me.
Receive a little child, you receive me.
Clear.

Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor
for helping us to love God better because of them.

Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world
who live and die in poverty and hunger.
Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread,
and by our understanding love,give them peace and joy.

The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.

The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.

If you cannot feed a hundred people, then feed just one.

Where there is great love,
there are always great miracles

We know that whatever we do is simply a droplet in the ocean.
But if that droplet were missing, the ocean would be lacking.

"WE USED THE QUOTE BELOW ON OUR WEDDING INVITATION":

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.
Be the living expression of God's kindness:
kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.

God is the friend of silence.
See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence;
see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...
We need silence to be able to touch souls.

Peace begins with a smile.

There is no greater sickness in the world today than the lack of love.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

QUOTE'S FROM KAHLIL GIBRAN...meaningful maxims!

God made Truth with many doors to welcome every believer who knocks on them.

I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.

If indeed you must be candid, be candid beautifully.

It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding.

Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather, 'I have found a truth.'

The lights of stars that were extinguished ages ago still reaches us. So it is with great men who died centuries ago, but still reach us with the radiations of their personalities.

Yesterday is but today's memory, tomorrow is today's dream.

And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and the sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

Quote's by Joseph Campbell that ring true for me...

People say that what we're seeking is a meaning for life.
I don't think that's what we're really seeking.
I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive,
so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.


Find a place (inside) where there's joy,
and the joy will burn out the pain.



The goal of life
is to make your heartbeat
match the beat of the universe,
to match your nature with Nature.

It is by going down into the abyss
that we recover the treasures of life.
Where you stumble,
there lies your treasure.

Opportunities
to find deeper powers within ourselves
come when life seems most challenging.


We must be willing to get rid of
the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
The old skin has to be shed
before the new one can come.