February 15, 2011: DART RAIL

Hola, All! Today my friend from Cuba, Aida, and I rode the DART train from the Frankford station to downtown Dallas. Even though Aida doesn't speak much English, and my Spanish is a work in progress, we seem to understand each other most of the time. Or, I just let her yak and nod my head. The danger in doing that is I might be nodding 'yes' when shaking my head 'no' is a more proper response. Oh well! When we got to the parking lot, we were very fortunate to find a parking place near the platform. It was encouraging to find that this lot was packed; there is another lot beside it that wasn't full. I'm so glad to see the citizens of Carrollton using DART rail. There are 3 machines where you can buy a ticket, but we couldn't get any of them to take our money. (Rats, right!) I talked to the man driving the train and he said he had already called it in, so we just got on the train and paid for our ticket on the other end. A one day pass is $3.50 - $4.00. One reason I wanted to ride the train was to see where it stopped. Besides Carrollton and Farmers Branch, it stopped near Love Field. You have to get off the train and catch a bus to the airport, but you get to use your same rail ticket. It also stopped close to Children's Hospital and Parkland, but if I were really sick, I'm not sure I could walk to the hospital since it looked like it was a hike. We got off the train downtown and walked around the West End, eating at The Corner Bakery........yum! We then walked to The Red Courthouse where there is a tourist bureau inside. If you go there, they will give you a map and show you where the most interesting places are to visit. As far as free places, he mentioned the Kennedy memorial, Neiman Marcos, the Crow collection of Asian Art, and the Guadalupe Cathedral. Another place is Thanksgiving Square. We didn't visit any of those places since we had to be back by a certain time, but I plan to return, this time with an agenda of places to see. It was an interesting, enjoyable day, and I highly recommend experiencing the train from Carrollton to downtown Dallas and beyond.
Enjoy your trip!
Dawnie

February 14, 2011: Potatoes

Hola, All! Last weekend, my brother, Terry, wife, Lynna, and daughter, Emily, spent the night at my house. As Terry and I were talking, he asked me what kind of vegetables I was going to plant this year. I mentioned tomatoes, zuchinni, squash; also, basil and oregano. He said, "Why not new potatoes?" I really hadn't given potatoes any thought but remembering how delicious my dad's new potatoes were really got me to thinking. I remember that my dad planted them in February, but I couldn't tell you anything more than that. My dad didn't start a garden until I was in college, so it wasn't something I grew up with. And, unfortunately, while he was alive, I wasn't interested in growing some of my own food. Now that I am, he isn't around; sometimes things work that way. Terry said to plant potatoes, all one needed was some potatoes from the store; that I had. While I cut 2 red potatoes into fourths, Terry dug 8 holes in my garden. Then he threw one fourth potato into each hole, covered it up and said that's it. Since then I've done some research on the internet. It seems that the potatoes needed to have developed some 'eyes' since that is the 'seed'. (I'm sure that the ants are having a 'potato party' since i'm not digging them up!) I bought 2 more red potatoes today, and put them in the pantry, hoping they develope 'eyes' in the next two weeks. For north Texas, the best time to plant potaotes is from February 15 to March 1. Then I read on another website not to plant potatoes that are bought in the grocery store since they are sprayed with something that keeps them from reproducing. What to do?? If you have experience growing red potatoes in this area, would you please tell me your process? I would appreciate it greatly.
You are Love, I am Love,
Dawnie

February 8, 2011: Jury Duty

Hola, All! This morning I was at the municipal court in Carrollton to attend jury duty. I had mixed feelings about performing this service since I have been trying to reduce/eliminate judgment in my life. This was a paradox for me since being on a jury requires one to give a verdict on another person's behavior. There was nothing on the summons that I could use as a legal reason not to go, so I went trusting that I would not be picked. (Warning: if you go for jury duty, wear warm clothes; I wore a long sleeve shirt, a very light sweatshirt, and a light leather jacket along with socks and boots, and still was cold. Also, and I know this is selffish, but I wanted to see Kerri before she went out of town at 10:30am, so I set my goal to be home by then.) While we were waiting for the bailiff, we watched an interesting short clip about the history and purpose of jury duty. After some time, the bailiff arrived calling out 20 names of people in the room who would go to the first court room, some of whom would be picked to serve on that jury. I was not on his list. Then, a second bailiff called out 18 names, mine being the 7th name. In the courtroom, the prosecuting attorney told us she was going to ask us questions and we should verbally respond yes or no. As she was going through her routine, about half the people would answer, the rest remaining silent. I was listening to her when she asked the following question: If there is a city law that you don't agree with, and the defendant broke this law, could you uphold it? Some people answered yes, and she went on to the next question. But, inside me, something started churning and making me real nervous. I asked myself, could I do that, knowing the answer was no. So, I raised my hand, and asked to return to that question. I told her that I didn't think I could uphold a law that I didn't agree with. She said, OK, and moved to her next point. Shortly thereafter, we were dismissed to the next room while the proseceutor and the defendant (who decided to be her own lawyer) each picked 3 people to serve on the 6 person jury. When we returned to the courtroom around 10:15am, my name was not called, and I made it home in time to take Kerri to the airport. I want to close by saying that if you feel proud to serve your country on a jury, wonderful! I am not knocking jury duty at all. But, for me, when my insides were in a knot, I knew that I had to be true to myself and speak up about my feelings. It was the right thing for me to do.
I am Love, You are Love,
Dawnie

February 7, 2011: Aura/Angel

Hola, All! Sometimes in my meditations, I ask to see angelic beings. Why do I want to see them? Possible a part of me needs proof that they exist, or maybe I think that if I see them, that means I am on the 'right' spiritual path. I want to know that I am connecting with them. Sometimes I just want to feel them beside me. Yesterday I met Edna at the Cathedral of Light for their Sunday service. There were lots of uplifting music and good messages. Rev Kay had given an inspirational reading after which was a period of silence except for the lovely sound of vibrating Tibetan bowls. Then, Rev Kay gave a message on "To Love As God Loves". As I was listening to her message, the energy field surrounding her body came into my vision. As I sat there watching her energy field, it started to grow beyond her into the shape of a head with shoulders. The 'form' lasted only a few seconds, and then it kind of melted back into her aura. But, in a few seconds, out of her energy came a second form, like the first, only larger. There was no clear distinction of anything except behind her was a 'form' of a head, shoulders and flowing body that seemed to float. It lasted but a few seconds. My first and only thought was that I was seeing one of her angels, but I felt no different than before. There was not even a little bit of excitement over seeing this, which kind of surprised me. I guess I expected to be happy, or elated, or even scared.........but I had none of those emotions. It happened and then it was over. I could still see Rev. Kay's aura but no more shapes presented themselves to me. Did I see one of her angels? I don't know, but I do know that I saw something. Whether it was an angel, or an extention of her energy, I don't think it really matters.... A thought just now occured to me that possibly it was an extention of the Love that she was sending out into the world. Ah, that explanation seems to ring true to me; I think I'll stick with that one.
I am Love, You are Love, Give it freely.
Dawnie

February 5, 2011: Reactions

Hola, All! Today we are going to talk about why we get our feelings hurt or why we react to a situation or another person. "The Way of Mastery" says that ....."you will continue to project upon others what remains unhealed and unforgiven within yourself. Each time you react to another, you are being given a sign that there is some kind of energy that has been presented to your awareness that you have not forgiven within yourself. If someone is critical and you react everytime they are critical, you have not healed that part of your own being--that part of your own experience of being critical of others." Isn't it interesting that when we react to someone or something, it tells us that we have some healing and forgiving work to do. Look at all the times during the day that the opportunity arises for us to heal and forgive others and ourselves. "The Way of Mastery" tells us to count our blessings when we feel disturbed. My first reaction was, geez, what kind of blessing is that! But it is a blessing because it gives us the opportunity to release healing Love to ourselves and to others. But, how does it work? After we realize that we have some healing to do, try to relax, breathe deeply, and ask yourself, "What is it within this person's energy that is really causing my reaction?" Pay attention to the first thing that enters your head because that is the source of your disturbance. Maybe it was something your mom said years ago, and you are still carrying that memory around because everytime you have thought about it, you tried to push it deeper inside of yourself, not wanting to deal with it. If you are ready to release this memory, here is what you can do: Let the memory arise while you breathe and relax, not judging but honoring it, and sending it love. Then bring to mind a time when you said something hurtful to someone, and say to yourself: "I forgive me for being critical. I forgive my judgment of myself. I choose to teach only Love." You have now released those memories, and that is why I told you earlier that it is a blessing when we react to something someone said. It's all about releasing our unforgiving feelings and healing ourselves. Reacting to another person or situation is our signal that we have unresolved memories, and now you know that there is a way to release them.
You are Love, I am Love,
Dawnie

February 4, 2011: Are you the Judge?

Hola, All! I was reading in "The Way of Mastery" about what happens to our bodies when we judge ourselves, judge others, judge situations, etc. "Judgment causes the very cellular structure to break down. If you could see this, you would never judge again. When you judge, even the cells of your body go crazy. They vibrate in a completely dissonant way. There is contraction. The fluids do not move through the cells. The nutrients do not become transported or delivered to the cells. The waste matter is not processed properly. Everything gets clogged up, and there is dis-ease." Holy Cow; who knew! But, it does make sense that being critical would have an impact upon our bodies. Now that I know this, what can I do to keep from judging? It seems to be such a natural part of life, but it was a learned response. So, if I learned how to judge, then logic tells me that I can unlearn how to judge. One way I am working on is whenever I catch myself passing judgment, I stop and say something like, "I forgive you and I forgive me; I love you and I love me." Even though I probably pass judgment at least 100 times a day, I only caught myself once today.........and it wasn't even about a real person. Ed and I were watching a movie when I made an unkind comment about one of the characters. The good news is that I caught myself just after I said it. I know that I need to pay MORE attention to the thoughts that go through my head and the words that come out of my mouth. Since judging seems to be a national passtime, do you have any creative ways of slowing down this process? I would love to hear your suggestions.
I am Love; You are Love,
Dawnie

February 2, 2011: I Am

Hola, All! I was reading in "The Way of Mastery" this morning about how we are all a being inside of a body, that who we truly are is inside of us. Our body is just the 'shell' housing our spirit, and our spirit is connected to God. This got me to thinking about how we think about ourselves, the way we word things in English, and how it's different in the Spanish language. For instance, we say, "I am 29 years old" where in Spanish they say, "I have 29 years." Wouldn't it be easier to accept that age is just a number if we thought of ourselves as 'having' so many years instead of 'being' so many years? Or, we say, "I'm hungry and thirsty", but in Spanish it's "I have hunger and thirst". Does hunger and thirst define who you really are, or is it a description of the way you are feeling at that moment? One of my favorites in Spanish is "You have reason", instead of "You're right". Are you really 'right' or are you using logic? In English we define ourselves all day by starting with "I am .....". Truly the only thing we are is Spirit, connected to Divine Love. Here's a little homework: the next time you say "I am.......", try to rephrase it to describe what you are feeling, instead of defining what you are.
You are Love, I am Love,
Dawnie