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