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I have one particular holiday memory
that has stayed with me through the years.
A gift My Mother gave to me,
perhaps unknowing that,
that one gift still lives in My heart.
When I was a child, My older Sister was ill.
She had been born with a heart defect.
In those days, they didn't have the abilities & medical
miracles We have today.
My dad had a great job, My grandparents helped out
But the bills from Her illness were overwhelming.
When My Sister passed there wasn't enough money
For Her funeral.
Family chipped in.
To make matters worse for My parents,
I had needed surgery.
My Parents & Grandparents always did the best
for us. The holidays were a special time.
But this one year, the expenses weighed heavily.
As a child I had no understanding of these things.
There was a sadness in Our home.
My Mother seemed different.
She explained we were not to expect much that year.
Try to make a child understand that.
I suppose I was maybe 7...
On the corner of Our house was a small toy store.
The old fashioned kind.
The owners knew everyone in the neighborhood.
As kids we'd wander in the small shop,
To us it was a wonderland, filled with anything we could dream of.
That Christmas Eve,
My mother dressed us & took us down to the toy store.
She spoke with the owners for quite some time.
Then gathered My little Sister & I up,
heading back home.
I'm not quite sure I really understood but I remember feeling sad.
I wouldn't be getting what other children would.
That next day there was a miracle.
Presents.
I opened a package containing a doll.
There were other small packages.
In these packages were doll clothes.
My mother had waited until Christmas Eve.
She went to the toy store and asked the owners what they had
to sell her at a discount.
Some doll clothes that had been damaged.
She sewed them.
My Mother made sure We had something to open.
Although I've received many beautiful gifts over
the years,
I can't recall them as vividly as I recall this.
I will always carry this one gift in My heart.
The truth about gift giving is
Not in how much We spend,
It's not about standing in line waiting for the latest toy,
or gadget.
It's not about the newest, the shiniest, the best.
The truth about gift giving is the love behind the gift.
It would serve us well to remember this before running off
to the store.
Perhaps it's not to late to put Spirit back into the holidays.
Thanksgiving 2012
My Spiritual path is My life.
It is what defines me.
It is My work,
It is My daily life.
Gratitude has always been an important aspect of My Path.
Of Me.
Now I find Myself struggling,
Trying to to remember all that which I am grateful for,
Rather than what I have lost.
I live on the Jersey Shore.
I love My home.
I love the smell of the sea air.
I love to walk along the sand,
Listen to the surf, feel the salt water on My face.
Our home was safe.
I am grateful.
But many friends have lost everything they have struggled for.
The shore will never be the same.
The familiar landmarks I pass by daily,
are gone now.
On the heels of this,
I lost My best friend, companion & family member.
Frankie
Frankie, My love is what I called him.
The grief that I feel is overwhelming at times.
Anger over takes Me.
I can not find it within Myself to do those daily devotionals.
I rage at Spirit.
I ask My Lady, "why?"
In those moments I hate the world.
Somewhere, within this pain -
I know I am grateful.
I am grateful I have had the best friend, I could ask for.
I am grateful for the years He Blessed My life.
Many things are different now.
They will never be as they were.
Perhaps with time and the acceptance of change
I will be thankful for this moment.
Perhaps I will find the strength to rise above -
The anger
The grief
The hurt
Perhaps I will rise above and be true to My Spiritual calling.
Perhaps this struggle with gratitude will lead me where I need to be.
May You know your Blessings...
May Frankie, wherever He is know I love him
May all those who are struggling with gratitude, find their strength
If We are silent,
In the stillness
We can hear Her speak
If We listen,
The Great Mother
Offers Her wisdom.
If We are wise,
We take it...
Yesterday, 11/11/12 was officially Veteran's Day.
I decided to ask Spirit, "Is there a message for me to share?"
Using the Sabian symbolsI pulled Sagittarius 12
Sagittarius 12 : A flag that turns into an Eagle, The Eagle into a chanticleer
saluting the Dawn.
Huh??? That was My first thought.
What the heck is a chanticleer? Time for google..
First definition I find is "chorus"
Singing in unison.
Ok, That makes sense. As a nation, We need to be united.
To support one another. to work in unison.
Second definition is the name of a U.S. Navy Ship. British too
I believe.
Ok, That also makes sense. I asked for a Veterans Day message.
Then came the 3rd definition - A Rooster...
A Rooster crowing salutes the dawn.
For those who live in proximity to a Rooster,
Well, You know that crowing wakes you up.
Sort of like the bugle blowing & waking up those
Who served in the Military.
Then I found something interesting.
The Rooster & The Eagle.
Political symbols.
The Rooster representing the democrats.
The Eagle, Republicans.
Back in the day When one went to vote -
You'd find The Rooster representing the Democrats.
The Eagle - Well, if You ticked that off You were voting Republican.
It made it easy for all people to vote.
You didn't need to know how to read,
or understand the language.
It was universal.
Some states still use it.
Here was the interesting message -
UNITY
With all the fuss and bother over these elections,
We need to remember on this day and everyday,
Many wars were fought in the name of democracy,
To give people rights and to protect those rights.
In the end, it doesn't matter if you vote Republican or
Democrat.
What matters is that You can vote.
What matters is many Men & Women have fought
to protect those rights - For Us and for other people.
The least we can do on Veterans Day is to honor that very right
and respect the rights of others.
Most of All,
Stand United
