Grey Cloud = Silver Lining

Easter Monday musings

2010-04-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

A group in Edmonton, Alberta who deals with bad men arrested for pimping sponsors a banquet called "Men of Honour" in which they find a few good men to counterbalance their work. I'm sure this helps them to realize that there are still men of integrity in our world.

It made me think. What does it mean to be a man or woman of integrity? How can I live more authentically?

And since it's Easter Monday I was also thinking about Jesus. He lived authentically. He loved to the point of death. His love meant resurrection and an invitation to us for life after death with him.

At least that's one good thing that the craziness of this world can't change.

Give Blood!

2010-03-26T09:06:00.001-07:00

Click here to read an amazing article about a man in Australia who is credited with saving 2 MILLION lives!!!

This man took an experience that deeply affected him (a need for blood transfusions) and is doing something to give back (donating blood!).

I wonder how much good we could do if we all took action to help our fellow man?

Heartwarming Help

2009-02-24T19:00:00.001-08:00

Check out my other blog and read a heartwarming story about a dolphin rescue in Newfoundland, Canada!

Star shine

2007-12-02T10:26:00.001-08:00

She felt herself drifting lower, deeper into the darkness. The darkness that was warm, inviting, welcoming. Healing. After a time, she began to struggle, knowing she had to push her way out, knowing it would be painful. She retreated. And began again. Her wiggling and squirming produced one tiny result: she could see the sunshine - bright, overpowering, lighting the darkness. She would never be the same.

Though the cavern be dark, and the pain too deep, if you're in a pit, seek help to get out! There is help, there is hope; it may seem impossibly far off, impossible that anyone would care enough to help, but there are those that surround you and lift you up when you need it most. Pray. Seek out kind friends. And trust. Trust that one day, you will be strong again and soar.

Hope

2007-06-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

I know I've written about it before, but hope is just something that none of us can live without. It's that important (I know that sentence was sorta overkill, but it really is a good thing to keep alive).

So I was drivin down the highway and listening to a teaching tape and as the speaker said the word "HOPE" I looked out the side window and there was this rainbow that I'm sure was lost on so many of the drivers speedin on by. I was like "OH" and had my camera on the dash so clicked as best as I could while goin 100!!! Safely. LOL.

So this is just another reminder not to give up. Keep on hopin'.

And here's another thought, cuz even if you're keepin hope alive, life may not be easy:
"I know there's a blue horizon
Somewhere up ahead just waiting for me
But getting there means leaving things behind
Sometimes life's so bittersweet."
sung by Carrie Underwood, written by Angelo/Hillary/Lindsey

Climbing up

2007-05-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

I've often posted a link to Tess Marshall's blog: http://www.flyingbytheseatofmysoul.blogspot.com/ with reason. She has some good uplifting words for us. I have now put a permanent link to her site on the right side of the page.

If any of you have any uplifting sites that you have found, please share them in the comments section! Passing on uplifting news helps your fellow sojourners out of the pit.

Remember the old donkey: the farmer decided that instead of killing the old, useless donkey, he would drop him down the old, dry, useless well and backfill the old well. He called on his neighbours. They began shoveling in the dirt. At first the donkey brayed mercilessly. Then he went quiet. The farmer looked in, thinking he would be submerged in dirt by now. With each shovel of dirt that fell on the donkey, he shook it off, turned in a circle to pat down the dirt and took a step up. May we all be like that donkey.

NOT A mother DAY

2007-05-13T23:23:00.000-07:00

We have made it through Mother's Day. Now, for those of you who are mothers, this may come as a surprise, but not every woman finds joy in mother's day. Sure we're thankful for our mothers, but for some women, mother's day is a reminder that they are not yet mothers. This can be a very painful reminder. It is like opening Pandora's Box. Some women dread this day all year. Some women close themselves within their walls of safety on this day to keep themselves protected; to keep out the hurt.

Some women who are mothers understand this pain and longing. They are usually the ones who have gone thru similar pain. I received an email from a friend who wished all her female friends "Happy Mother's Day and Mothering Day." I appreciated her inclusiveness. It did not hurt like the statement that was supposed to be funny: "oh, you're not a mother so I won't wish you a happy mother's day." Ouch.

My musing today is controversial. Not every woman wants to be a mother. However, not every woman who is not a mother wants to remain that way. Many women want to be mothers but circumstances prevent them from becoming one ~ and there are so many reasons for not being mothers, many of which are not the woman's fault. My hope is that people become aware of their words towards women without children. There might be an ache there that is invisible to you, but unhealed, not yet even scar tissue, to the woman.

One Red Paperclip

2007-04-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

This is a neat little story about hope & perseverence and unbelievable outcomes!

http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/2005/07/about-one-red-paperclip.html

What could we do if we dared to dream big, hoping & persevering for something seemingly impossible?

Ancient Songs

2007-04-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

I was reading through an old songbook of my mom’s that has popular songs from before 1972. The following three songs struck a chord with me and I wanted to share them with you. (I didn’t mean to make that rhyme)

You’ll Never Walk Alone
by Oscar Hammerstein II
When you walk through a storm hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho’ your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
and you’ll never walk alone,
You’ll never walk alone!

This next song was written by Thomas A Dorsey in 1939 “while Hitler was rumbling his war chariots.” Travelling by train to the hills of Ohio, the author was so impressed with the scenery: “… his eyes took in a beautiful green valley with all varieties of livestock grazing. A stream rippled down the hill, struck a rock and formed a waterfall.” His journal entry read: “If animals could have such peace in this valley, why couldn’t man with all his intelligence and ingenuity, have peace in the world.” I know we all echo that sentiment almost 80 years later as war is still in the world.

Peace in the Valley
I am tired and weary but I must toil on
Till the Lord comes to call me away,
Where the morning is bright
and the lamb is the light
and the night is as fair as the day.
There’ll be Peace in the Valley for me someday,
There’ll be Peace in the Valley for me.
I pray no more sorrow and sadness or trouble will be,
There’ll be Peace in the Valley for me.

This one just screams hope to me:

“Pennies From Heaven”
Words by John Burke
Every time it rains,
it rains Pennies From Heaven.
Don’t you know each cloud contains
Pennies From Heaven.
You’ll find your fortune falling all over town.
Be sure that your umbrella is upside down.
Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers.
If you want the things you love,
You must have showers.
So when you hear it thunder
Don’t run under a tree.
There’ll be Pennies From Heaven
for you and me.

Wishing you all PEACE today.

grATTITUDE

2007-03-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

I want to share with you the latest "Happiness Tip" from Tess Marshall, author of Flying by the Seat of my Soul (a book I recommend):

Happiness Tip:

Spring Clean Your Life

Your Attitude: Get rid of any negativity that holds you back such as complaining,being a victim, sitting on the pity pot or feelings of entitlement.

Your Diet: Eliminate foods that tempt you to overeat. Increase theamount of vegetables you consume. Give up sweets and substitutefruit. Make smoothies and stock up on healthy snacks.

Your Finances: Cut up unnecessary credit cards and pay your bills onlineand on time. Spend less and save more.

Your Schedule: Eliminate procrastination and block out time in your scheduleto do things you don't want to do. Then block out time for fun.

Organize: Clean out your junk drawers and get rid of clutter. Less is more.

Your Heart: Toss out all grievances and resentment. Practice compassionand empathy. Forgive everyone.

Happy Spring!

Tess Marshall MA

http://www.tessmarshall.com/
TessMarshall@TessMarshall.com
616-460-6729

Wednesday Wondering

2007-03-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

In light of life & the celebration of it ... what would you do if you had to face the fact of your own mortality?

This weekend I found out that my Dad not only had a minor heart attack but has to have a double bypass. My healthy strong Dad is being changed by an organ in his body. His heart is no longer what it once was. So many people are changed by parts of their bodies; their minds are fine but their bodies scream "life change and immediately please!"

So I'm wondering... what's important in my life and what do I want to prioritize, because after all, we are mortal beings. What about you? How can we live more in the now?

#8

2007-02-26T16:45:00.000-08:00

Saturday night has traditionally been the hockey night in Canada. Saturday night has been "Hockey Night in Canada," the night to watch NHL games play on the tv and families, friends, any one who was a hockey fan gathered to watch the game(s). In the past it was a bigger event as there were not as many hockey teams in the NHL and there weren't multiple nights a week when hockey can be seen on the tube.

I was given a ticket to attend a Jr.A hockey game this past Sat. There's something so great about being in Canada, being inside an ice rink and watching hockey. There was something so fresh about it not being NHL too. It was more like hockey the way it used to be, before the commercialization of the sport. It was exciting to be back in a cool arena cheering the home team, even if I didn't know any of the guys playing. And the biggest change I noticed was that there was a GIRL on one of the teams! She was the goalie and she ROCKED! That was a highlight.

What's your community sport? How long has it been since you've attended a game? How long has it been since you've joined in a game? Look into attending a community sporting event, be it at the local highschool, university, farm or professional team. And enJOY yourself!

# 7

2007-02-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

Today's Manic Monday Musing is short and sweet, however complicated it may be to enact:

Find beauty everywhere.

Manic Monday Musing #6

2007-02-11T17:11:00.000-08:00

I'm back! I hope you're still there!!!

I've been thinking a lot lately about abundance and lack. After all my traveling, I have seen & experienced both and am trying to reconcile the two. I went into it a little on my Skyelarke blog and am hoping people will start a discussion there with their thoughts on the subject(http://skyelarke.blogspot.com).

This Monday let's think about how we can live more simply. How can we simplify our life to de-clutter our minds and lives from unnecessary things?

I'm also thinking of an experiment that I tried in university. To simplify our lives from the mass media bombardment of advertising slogans and images intended to make us think that we must buy a certain product to gain happiness, which often works to get us to buy the product but never delivers on the happiness part of the equation, try not buying anything for a certain amount of time. You pick the length of time, say a day, or for the more ambitious, a week. Then you don't buy anything, and if you feel the urge, you think about whether it's a necessity or a luxury.

This is also a good experiment to help in understanding how most of the world lives ~ unable to afford most, or all, of the luxuries we consume regularly. I think right now of the man, a husband and father of 2, who is living on a drought stricken farm in Africa and who can't grow anything on his land because of this. He was weaving a basket and hoping to sell it in the market for $2 USD in order to buy food for his family. That kind of story tugs on my heart strings and I wonder what could be bought for $2 in his country and then I compare it to what I can buy in my own. Big difference.

So that's my challenge for you, as well as for myself: how can we live more simply? Feel free to share your thoughts & insights.

Follow your dream

2006-11-28T22:35:00.000-08:00

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”– Mary Oliver, poet

I am not about to fall off the face of the earth... in case you didn't get the memo, a sailor discovered that the earth is not flat afterall. And all this time I thought the world ended at the horizon in a grand waterfall.

I am about to embark on a dream adventure with my husband. 7 countries on 4 continents in 2 mos. Ambitious? Adventurous? Wonderful?

My postings therefore will become irregular, sporatic and gain fresh perspective. I hope you will not forget me during this brief interlude in the grand scheme of life. But continue to write me comments as I will be checking my email when I can find internet cafes.

I wish you all a super day, a pleasant mood, and an imagination that allows you to dream with confidence and follow your bliss.

Manic Monday Musing #5

2006-11-27T21:44:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Storm

After driving through a tempest in which wind threatened to blow all vehicles off the highway, where hail and rain buffeted the car’s roof and windshield and the darkest cloud I have ever witnessed had engulfed us, I noticed a rainbow. It was unlike any rainbow I have ever seen.

The full expanse of the rainbow stretched over a field of yellow hay with cylindrical hay bales casting soft shadows in the setting sun. Each of its seven colours were visible over a field of pastoral yellow hay. The background sky remained grey, but a peaceful grey that reminded me that I had made it through a dark storm only minutes before.

It was a gift of beauty to me from the Creator, the Father of Lights. I was given not just a part of a rainbow, but the full arc of a glorious rainbow. I had made it through a terrible squall and had not only survived, but had learned a valuable lesson along the way. I had learned to look for the beauty in the midst of the storm.

The words of Longfellow ring true even today: “Be still sad heart and cease repining; behind the clouds is the sun still shining.” Furthermore, remember that when it is blackest night on your side of the world, it is day light on the other.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T23:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

A grateful heart helps the soul be happy. Norman Vincent Peale said: "Change your thoughts and you change your world."

In honor of this being American Thanksgiving, let's resolve to be more grateful. See how many things you can be thankful for today with your life as it is in the present.

And remember as always to share your thoughts!

Manic Monday Musing #4

2006-11-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

Beauty in the everyday

Our little oasis in the desert is in bloom. I am very careful never to pick the flowers because I do not want to “steal” a flower for my own enjoyment and take away from someone else’s pleasure. Only two times during my two years here have I picked flowers and put them on my desk. This morning was one of those days. There were so many flowers in bloom and before I knew it I was not only thinking “I’d love to put a few on my desk” but I had picked two beautiful flowers before my logical mind said “WAIT!” I did, however, check to make sure that I did not choose the two most beautiful flowers and that their absence would not be noticed as there were other flowers in that area. I even picked one flower that had curled in on itself, its bloom faded. I find that even the curled up flower is beautiful! I put them in a little golden glass chai cup (the size of a shot glass) and placed them on my desk, next to my mouse so that even in my peripheral vision I can see them all day.

I urge you to do one small thing to add beauty to your life.

Manic Monday Musing #3

2006-11-13T01:42:00.000-08:00

Based on yesterday’s insight into synchronicity, be aware of your day and notice the small or large coincidences, the things you might normally brush off as “fate” or “chance.” Accept them as God-gifts and/or synchronicity.

Then come back & share them with us!

Synchronicity

2006-11-12T04:58:00.000-08:00

If anyone is looking for a daily reading of inspiration and thoughts, check out Sarah Ban Breathnach's book: Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort & Joy. I have been reading it for 3 mos now and I love it. Today she wrote about synchronicity, which is also known as: luck, fate, destiny, chance, grace. She challenged us to look at life today and notice all the little "coincidences" that occur.

Here's mine:

This little kitten was born in our compound about 2 mos ago. She is the most beautiful and keeps her white fur white (which is amazing over here). She is wild and skittish, as all the cats are. I have admired her from afar, wishing that I could pet her and make her my own.

Today, I walked out of the office and immediately she began meowing. It shocked me because it was something that her mostly-tame-but-still-wild-father does. I have never heard her do that before. She would not come close, but kept following me, meowing the whole way. I coaxed her to keep following me when it looked like she was going to stop. I ducked in my room and got some kitty treats and came back out. She was waiting for me.

I began to convince her to eat them. She was scared at first and even up to the end any sharp movements would make her run away. She had never eaten a cat treat before, evidenced by her fumbling at the beginning. It was adorable to watch.

After eating, she followed me back to the office. I hope I have made a friend and that she has learned that I am trustworthy. This is not mere coincidence because just the other day I was wishing that I could pet or interact with the kittens instead of watching from afar. Synchronicity. This afternoon, while I didn't get to pet her, I got to feed her and earn her trust. How I long for the day I can have my own kitten again! It will happen, I just need to be patient.

She's adorable, isn't she!!

Beauty... Anywhere

2006-11-11T02:15:00.000-08:00

After the last two years, I have become a strong believer that beauty is not only in the eye of the beholder, but that beauty can be found anywhere. Even in the most unlikely of places. Beauty can be natural, man-made, or natural helped by man (or WOman!).

This flower is in a small patch that was added this summer. They are now beginning to bloom... months later and they are GORGEOUS! They are bursts of colour here in our little desert oasis. This flower not only gives a gift of beauty to the beholder, but it gives a special gift for the person who takes the time to look closely: there are flowers within the flower

Morning Beauty

2006-11-11T02:10:00.000-08:00

Manic Monday

2006-11-06T22:25:00.000-08:00

(I apologize for being a day late in posting the prompt for Monday. But here it is... better late than never?)

Mondays. They signal the end of fun and the beginning of reality. They mark the end of a break and the beginning of work. Since a lot of enjoyment of life is determined by our attitude towards life & our current reality, how can we look for one good thing in today?

On another note, what can we do to make Monday mornings, or the beginning of your work week pleasant? Is there some routine that you can establish? Something special that will mark it as enjoyable? Ex. if you like tea, you could drink your morning caffiene in a special fancy tea cup that you reserve only for the beginning of your work week. If you like coffee, how about treating yourself to a special blend that you reserve just for the start of the week? Or perhaps Mondays could be the day you plan nothing for the evening so that you can do something for yourself, something that brings you relaxation and gives you pause in your day.

"If all the year were playing holidays, to sport would be as tedious as to work." Shakespeare

All Soul's Day

2006-11-02T02:44:00.000-08:00

Medieval Europe celebrated All Soul's Day, a day to remember the souls of loved ones gone before us. Sarah Ban Breathnach encourages us on this day to remember our own souls. What can we do to live from our soul, our true self, today... and everyday?

First Prompt

2006-10-30T03:25:00.000-08:00

List one thing that went right for you today. Remember, even if it's small to you, it can be huge to someone else.

Mine: It was the perfect day for hot chocolate in a teacup.

Changing the focus

2006-10-26T03:23:00.000-07:00

It seems that the only news worthy of publication is the bad stuff. This is the place where you can come to get the good stuff, to hear good news instead of the stuff that drags you down.

double rainbow

2006-10-26T03:16:00.000-07:00

When we shift our focus, we can be thankful that despite the storm, there is always something good after. This double rainbow was a beautiful surprise following a summer storm in Canada.