Saturday: Nov 27

Hola, All! Remember recently when I found a $20 in the gutter, and wanted to help my friend, Aida, who I met while teaching ESL? I put the money in a crystal bowl, and later added $40 more to it, making a total of $60. I then had a great idea on how to help Aida without it looking like charity. I have spent the last few months painting some of the downstairs rooms: den, entryway and kitchen. I have really enjoyed the way a new coat of paint has brightened each room. I really thought I was done painting but the dining room walls started calling my name, wanting their own new coat of paint. So, a couple of weeks ago I sent Aida an email, asking her in Spanish if she wanted to help me paint a room. Her answer was 'por supuesto', which means 'of course'. Please understand that my Spanish and her English are both limited, but we manage to mostly understand each other, especially since I keep my trusty Spanish-English Dictionary within easy reach. In the dining room, I had already taken all the books out of my bookshelf, planning to only keep some of my books, giving the rest away along with the bookshelf. (I seem to constantly be in a declutter mood lately.) I started painting the ceiling white, while Aida started with one of the walls. We worked at a steady pace, finishing the ceiling and 2 of the walls. The last thing we did was apply one coat of purple paint on the south wall. I have since finished all the walls, and put the room back in a little different order than it was. I have to say that it looks great! As I was taking Aida home, I gave her the $60 that she earned by helping me, and she gratefully accepted it. Wasn't that a great way to keep the abundance flowing?
Chao for now!
Dawnie

Monday, November 15: Women's Retreat

Hola, All! A few months ago, Kathy made reservations for a group (up to 15) of ladies to go to a Whispering Waters retreat in the big city (60 people) of Wizard Wells. The price was so resonable at $100 for 2 nights and 5 meals; what a bargain! The retreat has 3 stories; the bottom floor is where the guests stay and has 5 bedrooms, 3 beds to a room, a bathroom in each room, a large kitchen and dining area, massage rooms, a library, little store, etc. Every room is decorated differently with a different 'theme'; it is very eclectic. The upper 2 floors are living quarters for the wonderful people who run the retreat: Kevin, Lorie, Ruth, and Matt. After the arrangements were made, Larie and I decided that we wanted to lead the retreat, leaving plenty of time for people to get a massage, go for a walk, enjoy the grounds where Kevin had built a large labrinth, get in the hot tub, etc. We called the retreat: "Come Meet Clair", but we didn't tell the group anything about what we were doing, and they came anyway!! We opened the retreat with me teaching them a line dance called "Boot Scootin Boogie"; what a hoot that was! The next morning Larie introduced them to "Clair", which they had already figured out what it meant (sharp women in this group). Over the next day and a half, Larie and I talked about the four 'Clairs': clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience and claircognizance, how to determine which 2 were your main ones, what each one meant and how each of us has been receiving Divine guidance, many times without knowing that was what it was. They learned about the 7 primary chakras, where they are located on the body, and what each represents. Also, we explained about chanting, the purpose of chanting, and how it can help improve one's life. In between the lessons, we had massages, soaked in mineral bath oils, learned about voice mapping, played cards, were loud and laughed alot! Saturday night Kevin built a bonfire, where we gathered around and sang every song, off-key and loudly, that we could think of. On top of that, we were banging on drums and other hand-held instruments. I'm not sure the neighbors appreciated being serenaded by us, but we were having too much fun to worry about it. What a great time we had! We are certainly looking forward to the next retreat in the spring!
Chao for now!
Dawnie

Saturday: Forgiveness

Hola, All! Since August I have been reading and studying the book, A Course in Miracles, which is a foundation for inner peace. As I understand it, the basis for inner peace is forgiveness of myself and others. It also encompasses any situation where you feel you have been wronged, hurt or even slightly annoyed. As you know, opportunities to practice forgiveness are never ending. Take this morning, for instance. Just yesterday I was assured by this workman that he would be here between 9 and 9:30am. (It is now 10:28am!) Since 9:30am I have been trying not to focus on the fact that he is still not here; plus, I have been saying things to myself like: I forgive you, it isn't worth getting upset over, this is all about him, where is his integrity (opps!), don't take this personally, etc. Then I tried to get my mind off of the situation by reading my emails. One of them was a newsletter from Sonia Choquette; guess what her monthly newsletter is about? Forgiveness! As I read through it, it helped improve my perspective. I really liked some of the things she said, for instance: to forgive increases your awareness and intuition, it improves your energy and attracts people to you, it lifts your heart and creates positive vibes around you, and it sharpens your creativity. Wow, who knew that forgiveness had such wonderful effects! Sonia also listed some steps to forgiveness: don't take anything personally, develope a strong sense of humor, count your blessings, and see all opportunities to grow and mature your soul. I love her wonderful and timely advice. Forgiveness can be hard to do but it truly is the way to inner peace.
Chao for now!
Dawnie
P.S. Making sure that I was in a good place emotionally, I finally called him......... and woke him up. Knowing that I have been late to appointments, I silently forgave him so that I could move on.

Sunday: Unexpected Abundance

Hola, All! In one of my meditation cd's, Kelly Howell says that abundance can come from expected places, like a paycheck, and also from unexpected places. I realized today that I have been blessed, with money, unexpectedly 3 times recently. One time was when I was picking up trash and found a $20 bill in the gutter. Another time was when Ed and I drove our truck to Killeen to help clean up my mom's property. While there we took 2 big trailer loads of junk to the dump, unloading it ourselves (that was a stinky job). Later, my sister, Carol, sent us a check for $100 for gas and for the use of our truck! Today I received another unexpected blessing. I have been sporadically attending The Center for Spiritual Living in Addsion. Today the message (not sermon) was about the joy of giving. Rev. Petra Weldes gave an analogy using the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. She showed a picture of how the Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee from the north, flows out of the Sea of G from the south and miles later, emptys into the Dead Sea, which has no other outlet. She also showed us pictures of the lush, beautiful areas where the Jordan River enters and leaves the Sea of G. Then, she showed a picture of what the mouth of the Dead Sea looks like where the river enters it; what a difference! Because it has such a high salt content of 33%, The Dead Sea does not sustain any life such as fish and aquatic plants. The area looked more like a desert, not anything like the lush, green land surrounding the Sea of Galilee. Rev Petra talked about how abundance in our lives works the same way. When we receive abundance and practice blessing others with it, our lives are 'lush and green'; but when we only use our abundance on ourselves, our lives are like the desert. Since part of the money that The Center receives goes to support the surrounding community, and the congregation is part of that community, Rev Petra wanted to bless us by giving back to us. Bowls of envelopes were passed around, with each person taking an envelope. I put mine in my purse and didn't look inside until I was in the car. As I peeked in the envelope, there was a $20 bill looking back at me! Have you ever heard of a church sharing its blessings with its congregation in this way!! Me, neither! What a great lesson Rev Petra taught about keeping the flow of abundance going in each of our lives.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

Friday: ESL student, Aida

Hola, All! One of my ESL students, Aida, lives across the street from Davis Elementary with her daughter and her family. She doesn't know much English, doesn't have a car and doesn't have the paperwork that would allow her to get a job. So, during the day while her grandchildren are in school, she has lots of free time on her hands. Today I had the brillant idea of asking her if she would like to volunteer at the school. After she said yes, I took her to Davis to get the ball rolling. Luckily for us, the receptionist is bilingual and could explain to her what she needs to do in order to be a volunteer with CFBISD. Then, in my halting Spanish, I found out that she had never been to Rosemead Rec Center. We jumped in my car and headed that direction. After we got there, I showed her around and we had fun playing ping-pong for about 30 minutes. I was going to pay for Aida to have a year's membership to the rec center with the $20 I found in the street a couple of weeks ago. But that was before I found out that Carrollton raised their rates from $20/yr to $85/yr on October 1! Now, I'm not sure what to do with the money because I still want to help her in some way, but don't want it to look like a handout. I checked the membership fee to the Senior Center, and it is a very resonable $10. The only problem is that Aida can't walk to the Senior Center but she can to the rec center. If anyone has any ideas on this matter, please let me know. In the meantime, next week Aida and I are going on a field trip to the Senior Center; maybe I'll have another brillant idea by then.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

Thursday: Keeping baby happy

Hola, All! I just got back from spending 6 days with my grandson, Austin, daughter, Kim, and son-in-law, John. Even though I didn't get much sleep, cooked, cleaned, ran up and down 75 steps to do the laundry and helped take care of Austin, I was so happy to be there! I found that I was so much more relaxed than I was when my children were babies. Maybe that's a natural feeling since I've already been through the whole process of raising kids and know how quickly they grow up. Austin was such a joy to be around, even when he had his fussy times. Babies haven't changed any in the last 27 years as far as I could tell. And, they mimic adults, if you think about it. Maybe I don't cry when I'm sleepy, but I can get pretty cranky. Or when I'm hungry, it's best if you get out of my way, unless you want to get your head bit off. Granted, I don't normally poo in my pants, but if I did, I would not be a happy camper either. And, don't think I'm fun to be around when my stomach is full of gas. It's best if you evacuate the premises before things erupt, if you know what I mean! And, while we're on that subject, Kim found out that when she eats something that gives her gas, the baby is going to have gas too. We had a couple of rough days while Kim tried to figure out what she ate that didn't agree with her. When she eliminated certain foods from her diet, we were all much happier because the baby was happy. And, that IS the name of that game!
Chao for now!
Dawnie

Monday, October 11: Very lucky

Hola, All! Ed and I usually walk, sometimes together, to work out at Rosemeade Rec Center. I carry a bag with me that has things like my keys, sun glasses, bottled water, a magazine, etc. Ever since Jan suggested that I put a plastic bag in it, I have done that. When I come home from working out, I pull out the plastic bag and start picking up trash as I make my way home. Last week someone had thrown a beer bottle on the sidewalk and it shattered. As Ed and I were picking up the largest pieces, a woman walked by and thanked us. That was really nice. Today as I walked home by myself, I again pulled out my plastic bag and proceeded to pick up trash, starting with the grounds surrounding the rec center. As I crossed Elizabeth, I could see trash by the road on Cromwell. I stooped down to pick it up, and guess what was right next to the trash! A $20 bill just waiting for me! I thanked the universe several times over and merrily made my way home, knowing just want I was going to do with the money! One of my ESL students, Aida, doesn't speak or understand English well, and doesn't have a car so is stuck in her apartment that she shares with her daughter's family. Also, her doctor has told her that she needs to lose weight and that walking is good for her. She lives across from Davis Elementary, and I think, could walk to the rec center and back. I want to take her there, pay for a year's membership with the money I found, and show her how to operate some of the machines. Plus, while we are there, we can play ping-pong, air hockey and foosball. I am so hopeful that she will allow me to bless her by spending $20 that never really was mine.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

October 8: Akaschic Records

Hola, All: Last night Dee Wallace, the actress who played the mom on ET, was the guest speaker on Healing with the Masters. One thing I found interesting is that she mentioned the Akaschic Records, also known as the Hall of Records (I think it is called the Book of Records in the Bible). The reason I found that interesting is because that was the third time I had heard the words 'Akaschic Records' in 5 days. The other 2 times were from Denise Jones, from the Psychic Festival, and from Judy, who is in a book study that I attend on Thursday mornings. The Akaschic Records contain every thought, action, emotion or experience that has ever occured in time and space. The flashes of intuition and knowing hunches that you have are small glimpses into the Divine Wisdom of the Akaschic Records. But, there are also people who can mentally go deeper into the A.R. to help you with an area of your life that concerns you. That is what Denise did for me when I asked her about my spiritual path, because sometimes I feel that things are moving way too slowly for me. And, also, I just wanted confirmation that I am headed in the right direction (although deep down I know that I am). One great thing about following my spiritual path is I continually am learning something new, from people or books I never even knew existed. As I learn more, I also open myself up to new exciting adventures. In my view, life is supposed to be one adventure after another, and it is my choice as to how I view these adventures.........with fear or with love. It's all up to me. So now I am on a quest to find out more about the Akaschic Records. You know where I'll be going first...........my favorite......Half Price Books Store!
Chao for now!
Dawnie

October 2: Psychic festival

Hola, All! Today I attended my first psychic festival with some of my friends at Cathedral of Light in Carrollton. This is something that they plan to have the first Saturday of every month. To enter was a bargain, only $5. Inside were maybe 15 different people with different gifts, such as tarot card reading, numerology, hearing from your angels, etc. I decided to walk around and see which person, if any, I was drawn to. As I was walking down the last row, my attention was captured by a book, "Medicine Cards", that I know well, because I have the same book. After speaking with the lady, Denise Jones, at that table for a few minutes, I discovered that she and I have alot in common. We are both interested in dragonflies, she is interested in having more spiritual women friends, and she is clairaudient, which I am also. Clairaudience is having the gift of hearing messages either from a physical voice that seems to come from outside yourself to a voice that you hear inside your head or heart. Denise has developed her gifts to a point where she can use them to help others (and get paid for it), something I want to do also. I liked the way Denise worked because she laid it all out before she started, she told me to ask her open-ended questions (not yes or no questions) about myself, and started with a prayer asking for Divine help. It ended up being a really good reading, a really good experience for me especially since this is the first time that I've been to a psychic festival. I'm already looking forward to the next one; also, I invite anyone who went to the festival and had a reading to give a summary of their experience.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

September 30: Blessings

Hola, All! You never know where blessings are going to come from. Our house is about 32 years old and so is/was the grout between the tiles in our bathrooms. I had heard about Grout Doctor and how they will take out the old grout and caulk, put in new grout and caulk, and make the tiles look brand new. Something else that needed help was the bathtub, which was showing its age since the porcelain had worn off on the bottom which made the tub look dirty, even though it wasn't. So, I called Grout Doctor (managed by Chad) and American Porcelain to give the tiles and tub in the kids' bathroom a new look. Richard, who works for Chad, from Grout Doctor came yesterday, and I have to say that the tiles look brand new! While he was here, he asked me about the tub, and I told him that another company was coming on Friday. He told me that he has been in the tile business for 25 years, but used to work with porcelain, and offered to fix the tub for $40, which saved me $210!! What a blessing!
I'm also talking to Chad, Grout Doctor, about replacing half the tiles in the master bathroom (which only has a shower), putting in a little shelf, and of course, regrouting and caulking everything. But, since Richard told me that he would do it on his time off, I'll be getting a bid from him also!
Not only was Richard a blessing to me, but I returned the blessing by encouraging him to follow his dream of being an architect. He said he never finished high school, dreams about architecture every day, and that I have been the only person who has encouraged him to pursue it. You never know how 'chance' meetings can turn into real blessings.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

Sept 29: Qigong Sword Fingers

Hola, All! Qigong is a healing process developed by Chunji Lin, who says that the underlying cause of any pain/sickness is an energy blockage. It is a simple process to use but may not be as simple to explain. Let's say that Person A has a pain in her shoulder, and Person B is the healer. To make it easier for me, I numbered the steps:
1. To make the sword fingers, extend the index and middle fingers on one hand, then bend the other two fingers and hold them down with the thumb, making the cub scout salute.
2. Person A smiles (Start My Internal Love Engine).
3. P-A can sit, stand or lie down. Breathe deeply and relax, closing her eyes.
4. P-B, while visualizing healing engery flowing from her heart to her sword fingers, moves her fingers in a circular, slicing or chopping motion around the area of pain on P-A, but doesn't touch her. Do this for 1-3 minutes.
5. Then, P-B opens her hand, visualizing energy coming out of all fingers, while she visualizes the pain as smoke coming out of P-A's shoulder. P-B takes the 'smoke' in her hand and throws it away, repeating this jester for 1-2 minutes. She also repeats something like: the pain is gone, you are completely healed.
6. P-B then opens her hand, still visualizing the energy coming out of her hand. She moves her hand close to the shoulder, then backs her hand away, repeating this motion 9 times.
7. The last thing is that P-A takes 3 big breaths, rubs her hands together and massages her own face.
Last night at meditation Hefina asked me to use the Qigong Fingers on her, but she wouldn't tell me where her pain or discomfort was. After a minute of trying to figure out where her energy might be blocked, I settled on the area around her stomach. I wasn't prepared to do this, so didn't remember all the steps, but I got the most important ones. After I was finished, Hefina (who had her eyes closed the whole time) told me that her blockage was in her stomach and she could feel me pull the 'smoke' out! She isn't completely healed, but at least I helped her to feel better. Thank you, Hefina, for giving me the opportunity to start using some of the things that I am learning.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

September 27: Loving my pain

Hola, All! I want to continue the discussion of my last blog, which is 'Love your Pain' because I have a personal story to tell you. Some years ago, I had the 6th crown put in my mouth. That crown has never really fit well, even though I went back to the dentist a couple of times. He could not find any reason why I was having some problems with it. Since having that crown, I have never been able to eat anything hard, like a raw carrot, on the right side of my mouth. Also, since the alternative was to have a root canal, I knew I could live with it. When Ed and I drove to Chicago recently, my mouth started hurting whenever I ate, even if I only ate on the left side of my mouth. And, it would keep hurting even after I had eaten. I didn't say anything to anyone because I didn't want to waste any more energy on the pain than I had to. Also, I had the baby to distract me. This pain was something that I had not had before so still don't know what I did to cause it. I am careful not only about what I eat, but also about the hardness/softness of the foods I eat. For instance, anytime I eat granola for breakfast, I let it soak in the milk for 5 minutes or more. That way, it's softer when I eat it which my teeth are happy about. After coming home from Chicago, still in pain, and listening to Jo Dunning talk about how she healed herself, I decided to try her method. Whenever my mouth would start hurting, instead of trying to ignore the pain, I sent it love and made up a little song to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine". It went something like this:

You are my sunshine, I love my sunshine,
You make me happy when skies are grey,
You'll never know just how much I love you,
I love you today and everyday.

Something else I did was to send healing energy to my mouth whenever I listened to my healing meditation cd. After a couple of days, I noticed thatI wasn't in as much pain as before, and now, everything's back to normal! I'm still going to soften some of my food before I eat, since that one crown still is not right, but it's no worse than it was before. And that's something I can live with.
Please remember that healing myself resonates with me, and is my truth. Your truth may be totally different; I just want you to be aware that there are so many ways to approach pain.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

Sept 23: Love your pain

Hola, All! For the past two weeks I have been listening to a webcast called Healing with the Masters. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 6-7 pm for 12 weeks, I can listen to a different expert talk about different subjects. For instance, tonight's expert was a woman called Jo Dunning, who some years ago had so much pain in her right arm that it just hung limply at her side. After consulting with different doctors who could not help her, and complaining about the pain in her arm regularly, she decided to change the way she was approaching her pain. Jo started sending love and compassion to where her body hurt. She not only felt the love and compassion go from her heart to her right arm but also talked loving to it. In three days, the pain had subsided and as she continued to send love and compassion, she no longer had the pain in her arm and she was healed. There are so many documented cases of people healing themselves through different techniques. There are different ways that we can heal ourselves with the combined power of our mind and the power of love. Sending love and compassion, and talking lovingly to where you hurt is just one of the tools you can use to heal yourself.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

September 22: Family stories

Hola, All! I want to continue the conversation about 'telling your story'. Do you realize that when you say something like "migrains run in my family" that it is another version of 'telling your story"? Have you caught yourself saying "dementia or alzheimers runs in my family"? What you are really saying is that somewhere in your mind, you believe it's in your future. Well, it is if you continue to talk about the diseases that 'run in your family'. My dad suffered with dementia and now my mom has it, but you won't catch me referring to it as a 'family disease'. I am not about to set myself up for that nasty future. Obviously, just because both my parents have/had dementia, I don't believe that I will also fall into that category. Our minds are very powerful, but so are our words. There is alot of truth in the saying, 'what you think (talk) about, you bring about'. Pay attention to the words that come out of your mouth and the thoughts in your head; you are foretelling your future whether your words/thoughts are positive or negative. Change your record from 'arthritis runs in my family' to 'I am healthy, wealthy, and wise'.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

September 10: Peace

Hola, All! Recently I read something that I have been thinking about and I wrote it down so I would remember it: To have peace, teach peace to learn it. My understanding is that in order for me to really learn about peace and have it within, I have to teach peace. That doesn't mean I have to get on my soapbox and blab about it. What works much better is being an example of peace, living a peaceful life. For me, that can mean staying calm and peaceful when someone else is aggitated, looking for a scapegoat and I happen to be their target. Not only am I teaching the other person how to react in a different way (with peace), but I am reinforcing that lesson for myself. Or, it can also mean that when I'm in a hurry and drop a jar of pickles on the floor, I don't react in the 'normal' way. I try to stay calm by taking some deep breaths, talking kindly to myself, and cleaning it up. The more I do this, the easier it becomes, although I have not mastered it yet. Other things I do to have peace inside is I don't watch movies that have violence. Do you think that watching a movie or the news that portrays violence doesn't affect you? Everything you see, say or hear is recorded in your memory, whether you realize it or not. When you watch violence, you are ingesting it into your body through your ears, eyes and emotions. Doesn't sound appetizing, does it? Remember, to have peace, teach peace to learn it; it's a great way to live!
Chao for now!
Dawnie

September 3: Taking things personally

Hola, All! I've been thinking about how we were taught, unconsciously by our parents and other adults, to take things personally, and then we taught our children, unconsciously of course, to do the same. This has been happening for generations, probably since the beginning of time. But, now, I want to do my part to stop this insane cycle. For instance, if Ed snaps at me because I'm driving slower than he does, my normal reaction used to be to snap back, which he might answer by saying something unkind, then it would be my turn, etc. I feel offended because I have taken what he said personally; in other words, I felt that it was all about me. What I have come to realize is that anytime Ed says something to me, it is TOTALLY about him. Of course, the same is true in reverse. When I snap at Ed, I'm not really mad at him, I'm mad because I just stubbed my toe on the table and it hurts like the dickens. If he chooses to take it personally, then the cycle starts again. This could go on all day, with different people as the actors. When I stop and think about it, why in the world would I think that the guy who just pulled in front of me on the highway was, in any fashion, thinking about me? He wasn't thinking about me at all; he was in the wrong lane and needed to take the next exit so he darted across the highway instead of going to the following exit and making a u-turn. One of my goals is to stop my crazy thinking that everything that happens in my presence has something, anything to do with me. One way I can work on this is by keeping in mind, "What you think about me is none of my business". By doing this, I can stop the insane cycle in my life, which means I am a calmer, happier, more peaceful person. And, by sharing this with you, maybe it'll influence you to work on this also.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

August 29: See things differently

Hola, All! At Half-Price Books in Dallas I found a copy of "A Course in Miracles" that has a workbook for students in it. The workbook is divided into 365 lessons so that it can be completed in a year. The headline for lesson 21 is "I am determined to see things differently". The exercise for this is: I am determined to see (name of person, or situation) differently. The thought behind this is that since we are all children of God, then we are all the same and we are all connected because we are children of God. When someone does something/says something that I don't agree with, I am trying to remember to repeat this mantra in order to remind myself that he/she is a child of God and that we are connected. By doing this, it helps me to cool my jets and let it pass. For example, when I choose to get irritated over something that Ed says, in that moment, I want to remember to say to myself, "I am determined to see Ed differently". When I can see him as a child of God, connected to me, then that changes my focus from what was said to realizing that we are the same. Then my irritation evaporates which allows peace, once again, to enter my soul.
Something else that I am working on is to remember that no one else has had my exact experiences and vice verse, so why do I feel that it is my right to judge what someone else says/does when I have not had his/her experiences? This makes me realize that we are each doing the best that we can do, with the knowledge that we have. To get to the point when I pass judgement on no one, including myself, is going to be a blessed day! As I become more aware of how to see/do things differently, I am happily working toward having a completely peaceful mind. And, isn't that what we all truly want?
Chao for now!
Dawnie

August 24: Magical backyard

Hola, All! Thanks for your comments to my blogs; I appreciate every one of them!
This morning I took my fruit smoothie and cereal on the back patio to enjoy. I also had my Magical Messages from the Fairies Oracle Cards with me. As I was sitting there, enjoying the smoothie, I caught a glimpse of a small grey and white feather floating by. When it disappeared over the roof of the garage, I thought to myself, "That must not have been a feather; it must have been a moth." But, I said to myself that if it was a feather, that I would love to see it again. Not even two minutes later, the feather flew into my backyard, and landed in my rose garden! I almost jumped out of my chair as the thought came to me that my backyard is magical! How else can one explain what happened yesterday with the windchimes and now the feather? As I have come to accept that there's a whole lot in this universe that I don't really understand or can explain, I have opened myself up to learning about new and wonderful things. As I have come to trust God, the angels, and yes, even the fairies, they are showing me in different ways their presence in my life. And, I'm loving every minute of it!
Oh, and in case you were wondering about the Fairy cards, one of them said to "Stand up for my beliefs and speak my truth with love." I like their guidance, don't you?
Chao for now!
Dawnie

August 23: Windchimes

Hola, All! One of the things that I am interested in is improving the environment, which helps the air that we breathe to be cleaner. A few months ago, we put in a retractable closeline. I can't really explain the satisfaction I get from hanging my clothes outside. Maybe it's because I feel closer to nature since the clothesline is next to my roses and my newest garden. Or maybe it's because by not using the dryer, it's one way that I can cut back on our electricity use. Whatever my reasons, it is something that has many benefits. This morning I was up early washing some sheets. When the washer was done, I took the sheets outside and was hanging them on the clothesline. I was thinking about how much I enjoy letting the warm outside air dry my clothes. Suddenly I realized that I was hearing a form of music. I recognized the sound and looked at the windchimes that hang near the clothesline. Without a breeze in the air, and nothing that I could see making them move, the windchimes were playing their lovely music, seemingly by themselves! It was a miracle! Truthfully, I think it was the nature fairies way of letting me know that they were happy I was using Mother Nature in such a positive way. It was really a great way to start my day and I look forward to having it happen again!
Chao for now!
Dawnie

August 20: What's your story?

Hola, All! So, what is your story? We all have one; some of us have many stories. Our stories are those things that we say to ourselves and to others over and over again. For instance, one of my stories has to do with my sensitive digestive system. I've told the same boring story over and over again; why hasn't someone told me to clam up about it? Even if I had let your comment hurt my feelings (and it is a choice whenever my feelings get hurt), it might have started me to thinking about what I was doing to my body. Is my digestive system ever going to get better if I continually talk or think about it? Absolutely not! Even praying about it isn't going to help until I do clam up about it. Think about your own situation. How many times have you prayed for relief from XYZ, when at the same time you keep telling your story again and again? Every time you tell your story, you reinforce XYZ in your body. What you could be praying for is restraint from repeating it ever again. Maybe your condition is more serious than my little digestive issues. I'm not saying that just by changing your thoughts and words you are going to be miraculously healed; what I am saying is that you are never going to be healed by continuing to tell the same story. Maybe you won't ever be completely healed, but wouldn't it be wonderful if your and my conditions improved? By continuing with the same woeful tale, the list of foods that don't agree with me gets longer and longer. Now, I'm ready to give up my story about 'you know what'. How about you?
Chao for now!
Dawnie

August 19: Powerful thoughts

Hola, All! Today at the book study of "A Course in Miracles" we talked about how powerful all of our thoughts are. Most people think that because our thoughts are in our head and not voiced that they make no difference whatsoever. Nothing can be further from the truth! Science has proven that our thoughts have an immediate impact on our bodies. Everytime we have an unloving thought, whether directed at ourselves or at others, the electrical flow of energy in our bodies is altered. Over time this can create blockages in the flow of energy which in turn creates illnesses in our bodies. When I realized this truth, I started paying alot more attention to the random thoughts in my head. Now when I catch myself thinking unloving thoughts, I immediately say things like 'cancel those thoughts', or 'my higher self rules' or I start singing a song. What I'm really doing is trying to change the direction of my thoughts. Sometimes when my mind is being stubborn and doesn't want to change, I have to start repeating affirmations over and over outloud. One of the positive benefits of paying more attention to my thoughts are that I am having less negative thoughts than before. This, I think, will help me to stay healthy and happy as I get older. I want to encourage you to really pay attention to the thoughts in your mind, and change them when necessary. This isn't easy to do but the payoffs are well worth it.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

August 18: Visit to Killeen, Mom

Hola, All! Since my mom is in a retirement center and never moving home, my sisters have made great progress cleaning out her house while I was in Costa Rica. I headed south last Friday so that I could help out, and visit my mom. But, earlier in the week, I had started getting a migrain. It took me a couple of days to really get to the root of it: the unconscious fear of seeing my mother again. Even though I wasn't consciously worried about how she would treat me, something in my unconscious was. I was really glad when the reason for my migrain finally came to the surface because I have found that when I know what's bothering me, then my body starts to relax and the pain goes away without any medication. Friday I stopped at sister Carol's house for lunch, then we headed over to mom's house, 'the project'. We are so fortunate because mom's neighbor has a big open trailer that he has parked in her driveway for us to put things like old carpet, flooring, trash. Then, when it's full, he is going to take it to the dump for us. He also keeps an eye on the house for us. Sister Jeanne also came over to help for awhile. That night Jeanne, Carol, Stan (Carol's husband) and I got together for cards. It really reminded me of how much I miss being around family, and just being able to pop into one of their houses without really having a reason.
Saturday was a good work day as sister, Lynne, and son, Torry, also were there to work. We really got alot accomplished; you can see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. By the end of the day, we were all pooped and ready to do nothing.
Sunday Carol and I drove to Round Rock to see mom, who was happy to see us. She showed no trace of ever not 'liking/loving' me. Hopefully, my unconscious mind was paying attention and can let it go. Our visit went well, and after dropping Carol off at her house, I drove home. I plan to return August 27 to continue working on 'the project'.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

August 12: Detachment

Hola, All! Today Hefina and I went to a book study of "The Way of Mastery" which is based on the book "A Course in Miracles". During the lesson the leader, Rev Kay, brought something up about 'detachment'. Such as, detachment from the outcome of experiences, and detachment from all of our possessions. Since I've read, thought about and talked about detachment before, it wasn't a new topic for me. When we become 'detached' from the outcome of anything, it actually liberates us. For instance, when I was in Costa Rica, I left my camera with all my pictures in a van. As soon as I realized that I didn't have it and even though it wasn't easy, I decided to mentally 'detach' myself from the loss. By doing that, I didn't mentally beat up on myself, and I also decided whoever found it must have needed it more than I did. By taking the detachment attitude, I never was angry about losing the camera and I wasn't consumed with guilt. After all, it was just part of my stuff, and stuff can be replaced. Even as I write this and remember what I did, I am having to remind myself to stay 'detached'. After all, the most important thing was not what was lost, but how I reacted to that loss. It really was a powerful lesson for me in how attached I can become to things, and the negative emotions that can be generated if I choose to get upset.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

August 10: Responsibility

Hola, All! Why is it so hard for us to accept responsibility and so easy to pass the buck? Case in point: Sunday Kathy and I drove out to a nursery called Shades of Green in Frisco. I had told her about it when I planted my new garden in the spring. She wants to do some landscaping in her backyard so was looking for some good ideas of plants that would fit her space. While together, we talked about the beautiful purple plants that she has growing in her front yard, and when I told her that I would love to plant some in my yard, she offered to share hers. Kathy dropped off a pot with the purple plant and I put it on the patio in our backyard. The next morning when Ed left to go workout, he looked at the pot and asked where it came from. I immediately thought that he was wondering how much money I spent on it, and said something about Kathy leaving it for me. But, then I realized that it sounded like Kathy, on her own initiative, just dropped it at our house. Before he got very far, I told him that I had asked Kathy for the plant because I thought it was so pretty. I'm still amazed that as hard as I try to consciously accept responsiblity for my decisions, I can revert back at the drop of a hat. Of course, this was really a mild example but I think that's where I have had to start, with the small stuff. All I can say at this point is that I'm working on it and correcting it whenever I do take a step backward.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

August 8: Sunday service

Hola, All! Today I have to tell you about the service I went to at the Center for Spiritual Living! It was only my second time to visit, and I am so glad I did; it was uplifting and FUN! The service was led by the practitioners (another name for lay people, I think)and they chose the topic "Freedom to Play". It opened with the band playing "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night! The practioners then welcomed all the guests and handed out a free DVD about the center to them. Then a woman sang a song about rainbows that Kermit the frog sings; it was lovely. The first speaker was a black woman wearing a purple and white do-rag. She talked about an email in which several people were corresponding with each other. She got in at some point, but not at the beginning so she really wasn't sure what was going on. From her response, someone said that she was ROTFLMAO. Not knowing what that meant, she asked. It translates to "Rolling On The Floor Laughing My A__ Off! At the A word, she indicated her booty! Then she shows this short video of a bird keeping beat to the music of "Another One Bites the Dust", which was quite funny. The next woman spoke for a few minutes about ways to put fun into our lives. Then, 10 blown-up plastic beachballs with positive messages written on them were tossed into the audience where we spent a few minutes knocking beachballs to each other! It was great fun! At the end of the service the practitioners were stationed throughout the room and began to say prayers outloud, all at the same time. I closed my eyes and let all the messages enter my mind, even though I could only understand the one said by the "beachball" lady, who was closest to me. It was an incredible service of love, fun and joy!
Chao for now!
Dawnie

August 6: True purpose

Hola, All! For a very long time it seems, I have been patiently waiting for my true purpose of 'why I am on this earth' to be unveiled. Never was I passionate about any past job I've ever had, except raising my children. But, as life goes, they grew up and moved out (and have turned into wonderful young women), which pretty much left me back at square one. As hard as it might be for you to believe, I used to be a very selfish person. I've had to almost totally change the way I think, do things and look at things in order to become the loving, giving person I am today. Not to say that I've reached the end of the rainbow; only to say that I've come a long way. Of course, I know that I still have areas where I can still grow and be a better person than I am today. I feel so fortunate that I love to read, and so have devoured many books that I found in the self-help and spiritual sections of my favorite bookstore, Half Price Books. One night I even had a dream that I found a book called "A Course in Miracles" there. I knew of this book from some of my readings and from the spiritual conference that I went to in June in Chicago. Two days after the dream, I told Ed that I was headed to Half Price Books. I searched high and low for that book, but didn't give up because I knew it was there somewhere. And, sure enough, I found it on the bottom shelf, all the way at the end. How I missed it the first go-around, I'll never know. Since I've returned from Costa Rica I've been reading "A Course in Miracles", and attending a study of this wonderful book. Guess what it says is every human's life purpose? To love yourself and to love others unconditionally. Well, "Duh", you say, "Everyone knows that!" Maybe, maybe not. Knowing it is one thing, living it is a totally different matter. As I strive to love myself and love EVERYONE else unconditionally, I know that I will cross paths with a job that will be so fulfilling that my heart will sing outloud.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

August 5, 2010: Fear or no fear.

Hola, All! Today while Jan and I were driving to a book study of "A Course in Miracles", we started talking about fear. It's been on my mind because I really want to live a fear-free life. I think I have less fear than other people, but it still raises its head every once in a while. So, really, what is there to fear? Why are so many people afraid to make a change in their life that ultimately could have really positive impacts? Believe it or not, I let fear keep me from living a full life for way too long. A few years ago I came to the realization that I am in the last third of my life. With that revelation, I decided to face my fears and enlarge my comfort zone. Since then I've done things like made speeches in front of an audience, stood up for what I believe, lived with a Maya family in a third world country, went to Costa Rica by myself to study Spanish and lived with 2 famililies that I had never met. What I have found is that everytime I face a fear, my self-confidence rises, I become more outgoing and things usually turn out wonderful! I have also taken on the attitude that if things don't turn out, then it was all a good learning experience. At the book study, guess what one of the topics was? Fear! I wrote down something that spoke to me: "Look upon the things that you fear. Discover them. Dig them up and out of yourself." Isn't that great! Instead of trying to hide the fear, face it and move on. One thing the instructor asked was, "Where is the edge of your fear?" I"m still contemplating that one. Now, back to my original question, "Really, what is there to fear?" I'm not sure I can answer that question right now but my hope is that one day I'll say, "Absolutely nothing!"
Chao for now,
Dawnie

July 29, 2010: Mother Earth

Hola, All! Do you feel, as I do, a responsibility to help take care of Mother Earth? What if we started thinking of her as a person? Would that change the way we treat her? This morning as I was walking in my neighborhood I picked up a piece of trash, knowing that some kind of receptacle for me to carry it in would appear. That's what happens when I start picking up trash, no matter where I am, something wil be available for me to put the trash in. This morning it was a plastic bag, a very wet plastic bag, but nontheless, a useable bag, the kind you get from a grocery store. Sometimes the receptacles are a large paper or plastic cup, or the plastic bag that the morning paper comes in, or sometimes I put the trash in my pockets (as a last resort). What was the most disturbing was how many plastic water bottles I found. Sure, they can be recycled, which is a step in the right direction, but how do we eliminate our dependency on them? And, think how much better off our planet would be if we treated Mother Earth as a person, and taught that to our children! For instance, teaching our children that throwing trash on the ground (Mother Earth's face) is the same thing as throwing trash in another person's face. What a visual that is! Maybe the key is not only educating people, but changing the way we educate them. Something to think about.
Chao for now,
Dawnie

July 28, 2010

Hola, All! It is good to be back in the ole U.S. of A.! Today is really the first day that I have felt like I've had the energy to do much. I've been dragging around for several days but now I'm ready to roll again!
On Sunday Ed and I went for an early morning walk. As this man passed us, he stopped and asked if we recognized him. I said that he looked familiar but didn't remember his name. He told us his name was Tran, and that he had worked at with us at Mostek (in the late 70's)! Then two days later I went for another walk on a different street and passed him again! Later in the walk I turned the corner to find a U-Haul truck parked on the street. What caught my eye was what was written on the side of the truck: "What will you do next?" I felt like the question was directed right at me. I finished the walk with nothing else eventful happening. Today I called a friend, Mary, to see if she wanted to play cards with some of us on Friday night. When she found out that I had been to Costa Rica she asked me who I went with. I answered, "By myself". She thought that was very brave, and then asked me if I wanted to go skydiving! Is this the answer to the question"What will you do next?" I don't know but it certainly is something to think about.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

July 23: Home tomorrow!

Hola, All! Today is my last day here! The school is sending a van to pick me up at 6:40 in the morning to take me to the airport. Yesterday I went to the bank to pay the exit tax ($ 26) so that I would not have to stand in line to pay it at the airport. I am not sure what it is for but I had to do the same thing when I left Guatemala.
Last night I went with a group of students to a restaurant in Heredia. It turns out that it is run by the family of one of the men who works at the school. The food was good and they offered a big selection, such as steak, chicken (pollo), seafood. I ordered fried shrimp with veggies........yummy! It is the first restaurant that I have eaten at since I have been in Heredia. Since we can eat lunch at the school for around $3 a day, I have chosen to do that, especially since this week I have had tutoring at 1pm. The lunches always consist of rice, beans and salad, then something like pasta, or chicken, or a small amount of beef. Before lunch today we had a program where almost all of the students got up in front of everyone and read a sentence or two in Spanish. They gave us our sentences; mine was about the bull. There were also 2 ladies and a man who played instruments and sang. It was quite entertaining. Just wish I could have understood more of what was being said!
Tonight I am taking my tico (Costa Rican) family out for dinner. I do not know yet where we are going; I left the decision up to Carmen. I am really going to miss them; it has been a pleasure to be part of their family for 2 weeks. But, I am excited to finally be going home to my family, friends, and my own bed!
Chao for now! I will be seeing you soon!!
Dawnie

July 21: More differences

Hola, All! One of the differences that I have been surprised about is that the average house in C.R. doesn´t have hot water in the sinks in the bathroom or the kitchen. They wash their dishes with cold water! Also, what is common in the central american countries that I´ve been to is a dish soap called Axion, which is made by Palmolive-Colgate. It comes in a tub and is the same consistentcy as bar soap. A sponge is kept in the Axion that is used to wash the dishes. Instead of making a sink of soapy water, they make sure the sponge is soapy and the dishes are wet, then wash and rinse in the same sink. Carmen then uses the other side of the sink to leave the dishes to dry. It seems to be a good system, I´m thinking about trying it if I can find Axion.

One day Carmen and I went to Hiper Mas, a store ( tienda) that sells food and clothes, like a Super Target. When we entered the parking lot to Hiper Mas, there was a small guard station where a man handed each car a plastic card. As I was walking around the store I thought, "This looks really similar to a Walmart." While going down one of the aisles I saw Walmart´s brand name on something. After paying and getting back in the car, we had to go past the guard station again and return the plastic card. Carmen told me that getting and returning a plastic card keeps the theft of cars very low. That way someone can´t walk into the parking lot and steal a car, because there is only one way in and one way out.
Love you! Chao for now!
Dawnie

July 20: Classes

Hola, All! As is the custom, each week the students have a different teacher than the week before. Again I lucked out by being the only student in my class! Es muy bueno! Because I had difficulty understanding what I learned last Friday, my teacher went over it again on Monday. It´s something called ´special verbs¨; what it really means is in certain instances the verbs don´t translate well. For instance, think about non-English speakers trying to figure out what ´It´s raining cats and dogs¨means. It´s the same thing with the ´special verbs´in Spanish. I´m just really glad the teacher went through the verbs one by one, explaining how to correctly use each one. Also in the morning we have a 20 minute break with the school providing a snack. Usually the snacks are pretty good. For instance, every day we have watermelon (yum!), pineapple, and something else. Sometimes it´s a torilla with something inside; today it was a cookie.
In the afternoon for an hour and a half I have a different teacher; mostly it´s conversation, helping me with hearing and understanding what´s being said and me stumbling through trying to have an intelligent conversation. Remembering the different tenses of the verbs is challenging but I´m getting through it. I´m just like a baby having to hear the same things over and over until it´s deeply recorded in my brain.
Love to all; chao for now!
Dawnie

July 18: At Marta's house

Hola, All! Yesterday Carmen, Javier and I drove to Marta's house, about 45 minutes away. When we finally found their 'driveway', it was a challange to get up. When the road was put in, it was two long skinny strips of concrete. Now it is alot of broken concrete, potholes, and buckled places, which reminds me of our sidewalks in Carrollton. Javier's Japanese car wasn't meant to be driving on such terrain, which was all uphill, since Marta lives on top of a mountain. At one point we had to get out of the car and fill a crevice with rocks. I felt like we were climbing the Rockies in a covered wagon! But once we got to the top, WOW, what a view! They are surrounded by mountains with valleys inbetween. Marta's husband and 3 boys built their house 4 years ago. It is made of logs, with small 3 bedrooms upstairs and the kitchen, dinning, living room and bathroom downstairs. I don't know how many acres they own, but it's alot. This morning I went for a walk down the 'driveway'. Alberto, Marta's esposo (husband), was working in the chicken house. There are 2 large buildings that house 2 thousand hens each! The set-up is crude but effective: there are 36 'buckets' with food and 18 'buckets' with water in each house. He had already put food in the buckets and was washing the buckets that contained water. I tried to ask about when they lay eggs, and he said something about 5 months so I don't know exactly what that meant. Obviously they do lay eggs someplace, although I don't know where unless it was on the floor, because in the garage next door were stacked cartons of eggs. (In case you don't know, alot of people in Central America don't refrigerate their eggs.) It was certainly an eye opening experience.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

July 17 : More differences

Hola, All! I do not know how anybody finds their way around in this country. There are very few street signs and the houses don't have any kind of address. It beats anything I've ever seen! To get to Carmen's house the directions went something like this: from the ABC school, go 100 meters north, then 150 meters west. Take a left at the corner; 5th house on the right. These people must depend on land marks and their memories to get them from one place to another.
Also, there are not many sidewalks, and rarely shoulders on the road. Heredia is better about being able to walk on a sidewalk than Monteverde was. In Monteverde you had to walk on the edge of the road in single file, but I must say that the drivers were very good about giving the pedestrians plenty of room. I never felt that my life was in danger, or that I almost got hit.
Here's a little bit of history for you: Did you know that Costa Rica doesn't have a military? After WWII there was a civil war in C.R. When it was over, the president decided that in order to keep from killing themselves again, they should abolish their military, which they did. (Don't misunderstand, they still have police in every city.)
Chao for now,
Dawnie

July 16, 2010: Amiga Marta

Hola, All! Como estan? On June 26, the day I left to come here, I struck up a conversation, in Spanish, with a woman named Marta at DFW. I probably only talked to her for 30 minutes or so when she went to buy a travel pillow for the airplane. She had visited someone in North Carolina and had a layover at DFW. I waited for her to return before boarding because I know what it´s like to be in a different country by yourself and not speak the language well (Guatemala). As we were walking down the ramp to board the plane, she gave me her phone number in Costa Rica, and asked for mine. The only number I had was the number of the lady, Virginia, whom I stayed with in Monteverde. Six days later, after I returned from eating dinner with Allison and Kerry, Virginia told me that Marta had called! Then she called back the next morning and invited me to visit her. I told her that I would call her in 10 days, when I was in Heredia. On Monday of this week, I called Marta (Carmen talked to her too) and she invited me again to visit her for the weekend! She lives with her husband and 2 older children in a different city. I´m really not sure how far it is but I don´t think it´s very far. Anyway, the wonderful couple that I live with is taking me to Marta´s house on Saturday, then Marta will bring me back on Sunday. It´s another adventure for me! I´m really excited to get to spend time with another family in Costa Rica. I will let you know how it goes on Monday.
Chao for now!
Dawnie

July 15, 2010: 2nd Dance Class; San Jose

Hola, All! Tuesday I went to the dance (baile) class at the school. It was completely different than the one I had in Monteverde. The instructor was like a whirlwind, constantly moving rapidly, keeping the pace fast moving. There were probably 24 people in the room, but maybe 7 males. I started out being a ´male´and ended up being a female when we changed partners. We learned 3 dances pretty quickly, one being the salsa; don´t remember the names of the other two. It was really fun but I was sweating bullets by the end.

Yesterday I took a tour of the city of San Jose, leaving the school at noon. I don´t know where I got the impression that it was a walking tour, but I was so wrong! The first half of the tour was riding around in the bus with the guide pointing out ínteresting´places, so interesting that I nearly feel asleep! The second half was better because we got out of the bus and visited the Central Park, a really pretty church, 2 museums, and a small jewelry store. Thank goodness I had my backpack with me because I did most of my homework while sitting on the bus. I sat up front with the busdriver and practiced my Spanish a little; I would have practiced more but I wanted his attention on the road, where the crazy motorcyclists zigzag in and out of trafic. By the time I got to the house where I am staying, it was 7pm.

Love to all and chao for now!

Dawnie

July 13, 2010: classes

Hola, All! Yahoo; I´m able to get on the computer (computadora) again today! My first class in Monteverde was wonderful! My teacher´s name was Royner and we just seemed to click from the start. I was extremely fortunate in that I was the only student, so every class was geared to me and my level. Royner spoke slowly and made sure I understood what he was trying to get across. Also, we played lots of games in Spanish. He also teaches English at night, and when he found out that I taught English to non-English speakers, he invited me to help in his class. That was really fun! I helped him on 2 nights (of the second week) and on the 3rd night he had a conflict and asked me to teach for the first hour!
As is the custom of CPI, every week you get a different teacher. So the second week my teacher´s name was Dunnia, and there were 2 other students, Ele and Nico. Both of them have a greater command of the Spanish language than I do so I did alot of listening. All 3 of them spoke faster than me so I needed more help understanding what was going on. After class on Tuesday I asked my teacher, in Spanish, if she could ask me more questions during class so that I could talk more. Well, she must have thought that I wasn´t happy because one of the directors asked me if I wanted to move to another class. I said, No, that I just wanted to have the opportunity to talk more. She then set me up for FREE tutoring for the next 3 afternoons!! I tell you, this is a great school!
This week my teacher´s name is Gerado, and there is only 1 other student, Christopher, a high school student. Gerado is speaking slower than Dunnia so I am understanding more. With only 2 of us, and similar in Spanish comprehension, we are both getting alot of talking time. Today we got to play charades, acting out irregular verbs and professions. I probably don´t have to tell you that I loved it! And, was very good at it! We are starting to get into material that I don´t know so things are getting a little harder.
Thanks for all the comments and emails! I´m very happy to get each one!
Love you, and chao for now!
Dawnie

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July 13, 2010: Heredia

Hola, All! On Sunday I left Monteverde and arrived in Heredia that afternoon. I am living with a couple who don´t have children, Carmen and Javiar. Carmen is a principal at a school and is on a 2 week break. I´m not sure why Javier is not working; they tried to tell me in Spanish but no comprendo. They are a wonderful couple! Carmen´s parents and sister live next door. I think they have adopted me! Everyone speaks slowly so that I can understand what they are saying. This morning after Carmen made me breakfast, she sat and talked to me for around 25 minutes. It was a great way to start the day. They live about 12 minutes from the school; on Sunday they showed me how to get there and on Monday Carmen walked me to school. I had to write down the directions because there are probably 5 turns I have to make before I get there. The school is bigger than in Monteverde and has more students. I´m meeting new people everyday. Yesterday I met John, a Spanish teacher from Houston. Since he has been here for 2 weeks, he knows his way around and is taking me on a tour this afternoon. Today at lunch I met a woman, Tera, and her daughter, Bailey, from Canada. There don´t seem to be as many single women here for me to hang out with. The weather is warmer than in Monteverde, but not hot, and not as much rain. All in all, I´m going to enjoy myself here!
Chao for now,
Dawnie

July 10, 2010: Horseback riding

Hola, All! Yesterday´s adventures entailed riding a horse, cabello in Spanish, for 1 and a half hours. I was with other students from the school, mainly 3 moms with their kids. Of course, I got the horse with an attitude! He knew where his place was...fifth in line. Everytime the horse behind us tried to pass us, he would nip at the other horse! Or if we were doing down a wide trail, he would zig zag so that no other horse would pass us. The scenery was alsolutely beautiful! There were times we could see all the way down to the valley, seemed like it was a mile below us. Other times we would be riding in the clouds! My favorite part was the last third of the ride, when we were riding in the forest on nothing bigger than a hiking trail and it was so foggy that I couldn´t see 20 feet in front of me. It would have made great scenery for a scary movie! Another interesting thing was when we got almost close enough to touch some wild bulls. It was cool also getting to see them run, kind of like dogs runing. My booty got a little sore, esp since I have such a boney one!
Love to all, love reading your comments!
Chao for now!
Dawnie

July 9, 2010: dance class

Hola, All! Last night I went to a free dance class at the school. My teacher from last week, Royner, was the instructor. He taught us 3 salsa moves and of course talked to us in Spanish. Since there were more women than men, 2 of the women learned the men´s parts. Ele, who is a little taller than me and also has long legs, was my partner. Because of the size of the steps that one takes, having someone with a similar stride works well. It was great fun as we danced up a storm! Today my calves are a little sore, which seems weird because Monteverde is in the mts and it seems like I'm always either walking uphill or downhill. So my calves should be getting a workout regularly; go figure.
Love you, chao for now,
Dawnie

July 7, 2010: Cooking class

Hola, All! Today I signed up for a free cooking class at the school. It was really nice because there were only 5 of us students and 1 cook. As we were talking to each other in English, the cook told us to practice our Spanish instead. Even in the kitchen they want us speaking espanol! The first thing she asked us was if there were any vegetarians. Since I could see the hamburger meat, I raised my hand. I also told her that I could not eat cheese or food made with milk. Then she told us that we would be preparing salad, meatballs, potatoes and making homemade tortillas. We were really cute because we all had to wear hairnets. I was in charge of cutting the cucumbers, and mixing the flour and water by hand to make the tortilla dough. I had both my hands in it up to my wrists. Then we rolled the dough into circles for another student to cook the tortillas. Only later did I realize that one of my acrylic nails had come off in the dough!! Someone sure got a surprise in their tortilla!

Yesterday I realized that I have been amiss in teaching you some Spanish words. So, I thought I would teach you how to pronounce my mama-tico´s name. Virginia is pronounced: Ber hen e a (with the ´e´ being a long sound). Something else you might be interested in is the word ´tico´.....this is the name for the native people of Costa Rica.
Love you, chao for now!
Dawnie

July 6, 2010: Coinsidences

Hola, All! Most of you know that I do not believe in conincidences. I believe that people or things come into our lives for a reason. For instance, last week my instuctor, Royner, told me about the School of Friends (Quakers). Last Fri this young woman named Eli sat at my table at break. It turns out that she is a Quaker from Pennsylvania. On Sat as I was walking to the farmers market, I ran into her as she was returning from there. After going to the farmers market, I went to a small store where natural products were sold. The young woman whose family owned the store told me that she attended the Quaker school. (Come on, this is really too much!) Since Royner and Eli both asked me to go to the service (called a Meeting) on Sunday, I decided to go. My other choice was to attend a Catholic service. Sunday morning I walked about 25 minutes to the Meeting. I got there just as they were finishing their last song. Then a woman got up to explain the Meeting. Really it was a time of silence, or meditation, when anyone could voice a prayer. After different people spoke, this woman would translate into Spanish. It was almost all about a member who had died recently of a disease. There were no more songs, no sermon, no religious affirmations, just some silence inbetween the people who had a prayer to say or who read a poem about something that was important to them. I found it really interesting when a man spoke about what they did during the childrens time, which took place outside. The kids were throwing a frisby back and forth, sometimes dropping it. Then he talked to them about staying in the present moment and really paying attendtion to what they were doing. After they resumed playing frisby, the kids did not drop it much. After the end of the silence period, there were announcements, introductions of the visitors, and then a pot luck lunch. All in all, I enjoyed the Meeting and the lunch.
For those of you who are wondering if I am learning any Spanish, the answer is yes. I go to school for 4 hours M-F, plus I probably study 2-3 hours a day. The teachers here are really good, and even give us homework.
Love you, chao for now!
Dawnie

July 5, 2010; sugar cane tour

Hola, All!

Update on mom; she has moved into a retirement center in Round Rock and seems to like it. And, of course, the work continues on clearing out her house.
Last week I went on a tour where they grow sugar cane. This particular place also was growing coffee, bananas, plantains, pineapple and some kind of squash that I had never heard of, and all grown organcally. Way up in the trees were a couple of sloughs. Did you know that they stay in the trees and only come down once a week to defecate? Can you imagine the size; I was definitely looking where I was walking! The system that they use to extract the sugar from the cane looked so antiquated; they even still use oxen to collect the cane and take it into the barn. Also, because everything is grown on the side of a mountain, any kind of natural products that they spray on the cane and fruit has to all be done by hand. Oh, they also grow some kind of berries that have to be havested by hand also. Near the end we got to make some candy out of the sugar; we could even add coconut, peanuts or chocolate to it. A little bit went a long way since it was so sweet. All in all it was a very interesting tour.
Someone is waiting to use the computer so must sign off.
Love you; chao for now,
Dawnie

July 2, 2010; different things

Hola, All!
Update on Mom: the last I heard she is moving into a retirement center, not sure when. In the meantime, my sisters have continued the process of cleaning out her home. It is a BIG job! We are starting to divy things up because she does have some nice things.

I thought today I would talk about how some things are different here in Monteverde than home. For instance, the shower head in Virginia´s house is directly overhead, so every day that I don´t wash my hair, I am doing the limbo trying to keep my hair from getting wet! (slight exaggeration!) Also, the way the shower works is that the hot water comes out first with the least amt of pressure. As you turn up the pressure, the water gets colder! Very intersting system, it makes you use less water if you want a hot shower.
On my bed there are 4 really thin blankets plus a sheet. It was different at first but now it makes sense because if I am only a little warm, then I just throw off one blanket.
Yesterday was the first day since I´ve been here that it didn´t rain in the afternoon. Today is another story. It is raining now and rains almost everyday this time of yr. Everything is so beautiful with lots of colors.
The food here is good but I don´t know how many times I can eat rice with beans without getting tired of it. For breakfast, instead of cereal, I have eaten rice with beans, fruit, scrambled eggs, and oatmeal. For lunch I go out with my friends and eat at a different restaurant everyday. It´s really amazing how many restaurants there are here for the number of people. For dinner, I have had fruit, salad, r & b, chicken once, and various vegetables. Virginia has been so kind to me. She makes me a cup of hot tea every morning, then something for breakfast that always includes fruit. For dinner she asks me everyday what time I want to eat, then has it ready. The second day I was here she asked me if I had any laundry. Of course I did- then she said to just drop it on the floor in my room everyday (I´m loving this!). On top of this, even though I have told her not to, she irons my clothes!!! Now I know what it feels like to have a maid! Thanks for all the comments and emails; it makes me feel like I am not so far from home.

Love you, chao for now,
Dawnie

June 30, 2010, Zip-line, rappell, tarzan

Hola, All!

Yesterday I went with some of my new friends to something called Expreme Canopy. I kind of had to talk Alison into going with me but she turned out to have more courage than she thought. This adventure included ziplining way above the trees, rappelling and a tarzan move. First we strapped on all the gear, they demonstrated how it worked and we started hiking up the mt. For the first platform, we didn´t have to go very far and it wasn´t very long, probably to give us a chance to figure out how it all works, Some of the zip-lines were really long, and some seemed to be miles above the valley.........wow, what a view!! We could hear thunder in the distance but never saw any lighting. It was more physically stressful climbing up the mt than I was really prepared for. Really made me wish I had exercised more before I came. On one of the lines we went tandum; I was with a guy I met two seconds before we took off. With both our weights, we were flying through the air! I didn´t have to do anything but lean back and enjoy the view while he was in charge of braking as we got closer to the next platform. Braking is done by pulling down on the cable with your strongest arm while wearing these really padded gloves. Some people would get stuck before they got to the next platform because they would brake too early. The rappelling was so easy because the workers controlled our speed..........it was really pretty wienny compared to eveything else. Then we got to the Tarzan swing; that really got some people scared. We were way up in the mts and after getting hooked up to the cable, we would stand on the end of the platform, with the treetops pretty far below us. Then you either jumped out to swing back and forth or they pushed you to get you going. Guess which one I did? I jumped before they had a chance to give me a good push! Now I know what it feels like to bungie-jump. A few of the people got so scared of everything that they quit before the end; I have no idea how they got back down. But, you know me, I wasn´t backing down from anything, I wish I could have taken some pics but there was nowhere to safely keep a camera. It was really awesome!!
Chao for now!
Dawnie

June 28, 2010

Hola, All!
Since I last wrote, it´s been nothing but good stuff happening here! Saturday afternoon a new friend and I walked to a store, sometimes in the rain, bought some veggies and frozen chicken and went back to the bed and breakfast to cook it. The people at this b&b were so nice and helpful. Plus, I met at least 6 other students who were/are attending CPI (Spanish) schools. This particular program has a school in 3 different cities. On Sunday morning we were picked up at the b&b around 9:30 and taken directly to the house where we are now living. That trip lasted about 4 hours. I am living with a grandma, Virginia, who looks younger than her 70 yrs. She has a small two bedroom place above her son´s house, but you can only get to it by climbing the outside metal stairs. One of the other students, Kerry, is living 2 doors down. Another student, Alison, is living in an apt this week. After spending some time with our families, Kerry, Alison, and I walked to a new super-mercado to buy some fresh fruits and veggies. The walk back was interesting in that not only were we carrying a bag of groceries but we also had to climb this hugh hill. Well, we are in the mountains. The thing that I was not ready for is that it gets dark here by 6:30! By 8:30 I was ready for bed but knew that it was way too early to retire.
This morning I met Kerry at 6:45 to walk to the school, a mere 5 minutes away. We were given a written test to take, then given an oral test at which time we were asked what our objectives were. I said that I wanted to be able to speak and understand Spanish better, plus thought it might be advantageous in my next job. When my name was called, I went with an instuctor and found out that I am the only student in his class. This is great! He is a really good teacher and asked me all kinds of questions about my life, so that I would have to converse in Spanish. And, he even complimented me on my knowledge and pronunciation! Tonight I have to review a lot of verbs plus I have 3 pages of homework. All in all, I´ve met wonderful people and am learning alot.

Love you, Chao for now, Dawnie

June 26, 2010: I have arrived!

Hola, Everyone!

First, let me start with an update on my mom. She seems to be doing well; she and Lynne are going to a place to play bingo on Sunday that Lynne thinks will be a good place for her. Please continue to send positive thoughts and energy their way.

This morning I woke up at 1:30, went back to sleep pretty easily but woke again at 3:30 with my nerves on end! By the time I got to the airport, I had calmed down inside, knowing everything would be alright. At the airport I struck up a conversation in Spanish with a woman, Marta, from Costa Rica. Even with my limited knowledge, we managed to communicate. As we were boarding the plane, she gave me her telephone number and invited me to her house! On the plane I sat by an American man who worked in CR for six years and now lives there fulltime. I went through Customs, got my bag and went through immigration just fine. Someone from the school was there to meet me, along with 3 other Americans: Kerry, from Chicago, and a couple from the east coast. We are all staying in different places tonight but there are supposed to be more ´students´coming later to the bed and breakfast where I am staying. It has been raining since I got here and is a little cool. I´m wondering if I brought enough warm clothes! YEA! Another ´student´just showed up! I´ll keep you posted.

Chao for now!
Lov u,
Dawnie

June 24, 2010: Back home.

Hello, All,

On my way home yesterday I stopped at the sheriff's department in Hillsboro to get a copy of the officer's report. It gave me some interesting information that I didn't know. For instance, mom's red truck, with her in it, were found in a ditch. It must not have been very deep because I didn't notice any damage to her truck. The officer called an ambulance and a tow truck to transport mom/truck to the sheriff's department. I'm sure he thought she was going to need to be taken to the hospital, but the paramedics must not have thought so. Anyway, I got the report and continued on my way home. I made another stop-off at the public radio station, KNON 89.3, where some friends of mine are dj's on Wednesday mornings from 9am to noon. They play really good blues music. If you ever hear them talking about Donut, that's the name they gave me on the first day that I visited them. Yesterday they let me make an announcement about an upcoming event. It's really fun because they are a fun group and they let me on the radio every once in a while. After returning home, I basically did nothing but hang out with Ed. Then we went dancing last night; man, that's something I'm going to miss when I'm in Costa Rica. While there learning Spanish, I will be living with 2 families. I just got my housing information for the first family. For two weeks, I'll be living with a grandma, Virginia, and her two grandchildren, Freddy, 9, and Priscila, 5. I think this is going to be so fun! Do you realize that I leave in TWO days!! Yikes! You know what I'm going to be doing today, don't you?
Thanks to all who have had my family in your thoughts and prayers; please continue to pray that my sisters find the right place for my mom.

Love you all,

Chao for now,

Dawnie

June 22, 2010:

Hello, All!
This morning Mary and I drove to Temple to get a copy of the police report from last Thursday night. It gave the officer's account of what Lynne told him. We also got a copy of the press release. Then we went to King's Daughter Clinic to drop off the paperwork that the lawyer said we need from mom's dr. Did you know that we couldn't get a copy of his notes because the hospital sends the drs' dictations out of the country to be typed? Anyway, hopefully Carol will be able to get it when she takes mom to the dr on Thursday.
After lunch Carol and I were at it again. My mom must have kept every piece of paper that ever came her way or that she wrote on! I found her driver's license from when we lived in Hawaii in 1969! And, I also found her and my dad's Social Security cards. We try to laugh as much as we can and have fun............ it sure beats getting angry.
Lynne dropped mom off at the Senior Center to play cards while she continued to visit different retirement/nursing homes. If anyone knows of a place that they've heard has gotten high marks in the Central Tx area, please let me know.
This evening Jeanne and I finally did a little bit of shopping for my trip. It's almost scary how little preparation I've done. Headed home tomorrow; yea!!
Chao for now,
Dawnie

June 21, 2010:

Hi, All!

Today Carol and I stopped at the lawyer's office to tell her that we wanted to start the process of getting guardianship of our mom. We were given forms called 'Physician's Certificate of Medical Exam' to give to Dr Hall, general practicioner, and Dr Aylor, neurologist. We also stopped by the bank because mom has been writing checks to her 'friend', Mike. The bank officer advised us to put a 'stop payment' on the latest check that came through and any more that might come through.
In the meantime, back at Lynne's house, the honeymoon is over! My mom wanted to know continually where her truck was so she could drive home. Lynne asked a cousin, Audry, to come over and visit with mom for a while, then Lynne took her to the Senior Center where she made some new friends playing dominoes. Lynne then checked out a couple of nursing homes in Georgetown but didn't think either one was a good fit for mom.
Carol, Mary and I continued cleaning out, throwing away and recycling stuff at mom's house. I sat for hours just going through years of paperwork, page by page. Mary worked in the master bathroom, going through cabinets and drawers; she even cleaned the toilet! And Carol washed sheets, towels, etc, along with going through drawers in mom's bedroom. What an experience this is!
I'll be home on Wednesday to get ready for my trip to Costa Rica.

Chao for now,
Dawnie

Silver lining: June 21

Hello All! Let me catch you up on what's been happening in my life the last few days. Last Thursday night my mom was reported missing. She had been told by her dr that she should not be living alone, suggested she go to a nursing home, that her dementia had gotten much worse and that she should not be driving. When she failed to show up at her house, my sisters reported her missing and a Silver Alert went out. Friday morning she was found sleeping in her car in a business parking lot in Hillsboro, an hour and a half drive from her home in Killeen. I headed south from Carrollton at the same time my sister, Lynne, and her friend, Ruby, headed north. We found her to be safe but determined to drive herself home. Long story short, it took 3 police officers to talk her into getting into Lynne's car (Ruby drove Mom's car). We drove her to the emergency room at Scott and White hospital in Temple to have her swollen knee (which is why she went to the dr in the first place) looked at. She spent the night there and was released the next day. After a flurry of calls back and forth between us siblings, it was determined that we did not want her returning to her home. Lynne graciously offered to take mom home until we could figure out the best plan for her. As Lynne and Carol drove mom to Round Rock, my sister, Jeanne, my brother, Terry, and I went to mom's house to get a twin bed, clothes and other necessities that Mom would need. We set her up in a bedroom in Lynne's house, and then drove back to Killeen to start the HUGH task of cleaning out her house. You see, my mom has lived in a 33oo sq ft house for 38 years and has accumulated a ton of stuff. On top of that there is also a 'mother-in-law's' house on her 3 acres that will need to be cleaned out. So, what's the silver lining, you ask? Because of all that has happened, we finally have enough leverage to go to court to get guardianship of my mom so that we can get her the help that she needs and place her in a nursing home where she will have daily interaction with people. We have a lot of work to do in the meantime but, praise God, everything is falling into place. I am still in Killeen, continuing the process of cleaning out mom's house. I continue to be blessed with the friendship and help from my good friend, Mary, who is visiting her dad, and working right alongside with us. I must go home soon, as I leave for Costa Rica Saturday to attend Spanish immersion school.

Chao for now,
Dawnie

June 12, 2010: Comfort zones

Hello, All! Thank you for tuning in! I thought I would start with a short background into how I got to where I am today. In 2006 I stepped WAY out of my comfort zone and started to sell Arbonne. Even though I was not successful in worldly terms, I was successful in that Arbonne taught me about personal growth. I started reading books that would help me to become a better person, and I continue doing so (I had NO idea that I needed so much work!). One of the first things I learned was that in order to change my life, I had to change my attitude. Every day I work on being one of the most positive beings on Earth. Something I realize is that each one of us has a purpose and it is up to us to become the person we are meant to be. And, for me, that entails continuing to step out of my comfort zone and do things I never dreamed about doing. For instance, joining Toastmasters was a hugh step for me, but one that has given me the courage to know that I can face any fear, like living with a Mayan family for 2 weeks in the 3rd world country of Guatemala . Even though I was physically sick with fear before hand, I was determined to see it through. What a positive experience it turned out to be! I'm stepping out of another comfort zone by going to Costa Rica for a month, by myself, to attend immersion school and live with 2 families that I have never met. I know that I will meet wonderful people, make new friends from all over the world and have wonderful experiences to write about.
Chao for now,
Dawnie