SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY

Sometimes what you see is not what you get. It's all perception.
This is our front deck stairway.
Rae

JOURNEY

Today we'll take a little journey. Remember, you don't have to move to travel.
Find a comfortable position, sit back, close your eyes and take a deep breathe. Be aware of your breathe, counting each breathe, feeling more relaxed with each breath. Unwind, erase the blackboard of your mind, and feel your tense muscles relaxing, as a wave of peace and love move down through your body.

Then, in your minds eye imagine a pleasant scene. This will be your special place, your safe place, your own little corner of the world in the middle of nowhere. Create this place to be exactly the way you want it to be, filled with your scene, your colors, your sounds, your aromas and textures. How you feel here is perfectly alright, for its your safe place. Find a comfortable place to sit and look around at your safe place. See yourself being happy and totally relaxed as you look around. Feel the warm sun on your shoulders, and the gentle breeze caressing your face. Anytime you feel the need to 'get away' or escape for a few moments, you can be here, by picturing your safe place in your minds eye.

I want you to follow my voice again as we walk down a smooth small stone path and you can feel the pebbles under your feet. Ahead you will see a huge brilliant rainbow colored balloon with a basket. Step into the basket and release the balloon. There's nothing to fear, its very safe. You'll float upwards through the clouds and drift along smoothly. What a wonderful relaxing feeling. Just drifting along. You'll find a pen and paper in the basket. Write down all your problems and conflicts, then crumple the paper and throw it over the side. Notice how light and happy you feel after you let the paper go.

The balloon will start drifting down slowly to where we started out. Be careful stepping out of the basket, as you are so totally relaxed.

Start to return to your room, and your chair and the sounds in this room. Slip easily into this time and this place as you hear my voice and begin to wake up. Take a deep breath, staying relaxed and calm as you open your eyes and look around the room. You will remember the journey to your safe place and can return there anytime just by picturing your little corner of the world in your mind.

ADIEMUS

ANGELS

“I'm scared,” the little girl said as she looked up at me. “What can I do?”
With her bright eyes filled with unshed tears, and her soft angelic face framed by soft curly hair, she reminded me of someone. She kept saying, “What can I do? I don't know how to change, I don't know what change means.”
I knelt down to eye level and smiled at the sweet face, and watched one fat tear slide down her cheek and plop onto my skirt leaving a tiny dark wet spot.
“It's not about you changing, it's about me needing to change and you helping me, 'cause I don't know how.” I said. ”maybe we can change together.”
“I still don't understand.” she said softly, but she grasped my outstretched hand and we set off down the road. She was so trusting.
“It's about learning how to be like a little child again, I think, and I've forgotten how to be child-like.” I said, almost more to myself than to my walking partner. What am I supposed to be learning from this little girl. This child that reminds me of someone.

Before long we came to a fork in the road. One road sign read 'Change road.' The other sign said, 'Same way.'
“What do we do now? Which way do we go? I'm scared. Where are we?”I tried to reassure her and she calmed somewhat. I talked to her, telling her about me, about when I was a little girl.
“I think we're supposed to go down the road called Change.” We started walking again.
“She stopped and looked at me, “I trust you. I know you will keep me safe from harm.”
As we began to walk again, she said quietly, “And I Love you.”
I was struck by her words, her trust, her innocence. Is this what I am supposed to be learning, the trust and innocence and Love of a little child. What a big order for me to learn.
But learn it I will.
Reminds me of a phrase from my past, my childhood, ”....unless you change and become as little children....”


What's the rest of the phrase?

JUST THE BEAR FACTS MA'AM

Living in the mountains, we have a chance to interact with the wildlife at times. From the Blue Jays to the Humming birds. From the Racoons to the Squirrels and the little Chipmunks. We also have a Bobcat that shows up periodically. A lot of Coyotes wander these mountains, and altho not my favorite they have a right to live here too, I guess. But the scariest of all are the bears. We have had a lot of interactions with the bears over the years, mostly with me screaming at them. But the most recent was just a few days ago, I was resting, think about falling asleep, till I heard a commotion at the kitchen door and a clattering, something falling. I got up to investigate and David said a bear had tried to open the screen door and come in the kitchen where there was lucious pizza remnants on the counter. He only succeeded in loosening the pet guard on the door. David chased him off before he could do any more damage.

One time a bear noticed our car window was open a mite, just enough to get a few bear claws through and with a little pull the whole window would crumble, and well there might be food inside. There was only pretzels, which he strung all over the car and on the ground. When I went out to get in the car and go to the market, it took a second to realize what all the pretzels and glass were doing all over the ground. But I soon realized the truth of the situation.
Usually my interactions with our resident bears starts and ends with me screaming. Sometimes hysterically and always loudly.

Well, whats a person to do, when you wake up at 6am, and a Big Bear is looking at you over the tops of your feet. Well he was just walking by on his way to the kitchen. In my deep slumber, I had dreamed someone was fiddlin' with the bedroom screen door going out to the deck. Well someone was – Mr Bear- and when I saw him, I screamed, and screamed. And screamed again. Yelling 'Get outta here,' with as forceful a demeanor as I could muster, shaky as I was. He stopped and looked at me and I could see in his eyes, 'But lady, stop yelling. I just need breakfast.' And he kept walking to the kitchen. I screamed louder, if possible. NO,NO, I SAID, GET OUTTA HERE.' He sighed and gave up, thinking,( I know,) 'Good Grief, I can't stand to hear screaming.' So he slowly turned around, giving me a dirty look as his face passed within inches of my feet. Feet that I hastily drew up closer to my body. He left our room, and our house and went somewhere more hospitable. Thank God.

NILES SMILES

Sharon, the sister of friends of ours, wrote a short story about Gratitude, dedicated to her 15 y/o nephew, Nile. Nile always had a smile for everyone and was a happy, joyful teen, and altho he had a serious physical impairment it didn't slow him down. His parents, Carol and Ty, said Nile could always brighten up a room or a life with his smile. Sharon wrote about her gratitude for having this beautiful soul in her life and all the blessings she had received from and through him. She shared the story at her church and it became popular, with many people emailing it to friends and family in other churches all over the world.

One ladies church group heard the story, and wanted to do something for Nile. This dedicated group of ladies makes hand stitched prayer quilts for people with cancer or other devastating illnesses. The quilts are about 3 ft x 5 ft, and are put together in the old fashioned quilting way. Basically 8 large blocks of varied colors and patterns, sewn together,plain material on the other side, filled with cotton batting. They are colorful and vibrant, made up of 8 large squares with a picture in the middle of each large square. Niles quilt had pictures of him from babyhood to his teens. The 3 layers are tied together with a matching color of yarn, placed in strategic places. As these loving ladies tie each yarn knot they say a healing prayer for the person that will receive the blanket.

The church ladies contacted Carol and Ty about the prayer quilt made for their son, not knowing that the beloved teen had passed away from a MRSA infection in the meantime.

Now the quilt is resting on the shoulders of a healing family friend that is recovering from a brain tumor. The quilt was wrapped around my grateful shoulders for a few precious hours when we visited these caring people a few weeks ago. I could feel the healing prayers and energy coursing through my body and settling inside my heart, to rest there and help me heal.

BRICK WALLS

I have hit a brick wall. All thru the last year and a ½, I have kept my equanimity, my composure, my stability. Through surgeries, doctors appointments, through radiation, doctors telling me I have lung metastasis, and doctors telling me I also have a second type of cancer. Nothing to do with the original cancer. Through tests, tests and more tests. Through chemo for the past 6 weeks. I have, well not really sailed through all these challenges, but kinda slowly coasted down hill on my E- ticket ride through life.



I have even looked for and found, and am still finding my Blessings on this cancer fantasy ride.
But now I have hit my Brick Wall with a solid kerplunk!! thwhhaaacccck!!

But now, due to the chemo I have lost all my hair. Or about 99.9 % of it. And the other .01 % doesn't really count. It looks like a spider web on my head. Not very appealing, so I keep a cap on most of the time.
I never dreamed I was so vain about how I look, especially my hair, but I was devastated.
And the resultant depression and embarrassment told me it was all ego. What a shock!!
I didn't really know what to do about my suffering vanity, except live with it.

Acceptance is also a good place to start, but that comes in small short clumps, and then its back to disappointment and vanity.
Now you know me. I am pretty much a realist, facing lifes challenges with a strength and a certain aplomb.
But no hair had me stumped. Caps, hats, scarves, wigs really did no good to my wounded ego. In fact, all the head paraphernalia called attention to my loss, to my – difference.
I have cancer. I am 'ill.' Generally people have a distrust, sometimes an embarrassment or discomfort of 'different.'
So don't have a disability, or a weakness, or illness or some other kind of 'difference.' You will only be an embarrassment.

Now , I am at my Brick Wall, and what am I going to do? In leiu of the non-existent phone booth, I'll have to find a powder room and change into my SuperWoman persona and bust thru that Brick Wall - Boom, Bamm, Kerpowww!!!

Because on the other side of my Brick Wall is my Hero – God. God with His soothing, comforting, Loving Embrace. He Loves 'different.'
I close my eyes and take a deep Breathe of God!

Ok I am fine now.

HEAL THE WORLD

WE ARE THE WORLD
By Micheal Jackson, Lionel Ritchie, Diana Ross





I tried to download a youtube video of Michael Jacksons 'Heal The World', but they are witholding the free video downloads.
Here are the lyrics, not as impressive as the video, but....








Rae




"Heal The World"

There's A Place In
Your Heart
And I Know That It Is Love
And This Place Could
Be Much
Brighter Than Tomorrow
And If You Really Try
You'll Find There's No Need
To Cry
In This Place You'll Feel
There's No Hurt Or Sorrow

There Are Ways
To Get There
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Little Space
Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

If You Want To Know Why
There's A Love That
Cannot Lie
Love Is Strong
It Only Cares For
Joyful Giving
If We Try
We Shall See
In This Bliss
We Cannot Feel
Fear Or Dread
We Stop Existing And
Start Living

Then It Feels That Always
Love's Enough For
Us Growing
So Make A Better World
Make A Better World...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

And The Dream We Were
Conceived In
Will Reveal A Joyful Face
And The World We
Once Believed In
Will Shine Again In Grace
Then Why Do We Keep
Strangling Life
Wound This Earth
Crucify Its Soul
Though It's Plain To See
This World Is Heavenly
Be God's Glow

We Could Fly So High
Let Our Spirits Never Die
In My Heart
I Feel You Are All
My Brothers
Create A World With
No Fear
Together We'll Cry
Happy Tears
See The Nations Turn
Their Swords
Into Plowshares

We Could Really Get There
If You Cared Enough
For The Living
Make A Little Space
To Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY

Shadow Shot Sunday
Click the icon and visit Shadow shots from around the world.
Rae

SKY WATCH FRIDAY

Lake Arrowhead Ca. San Bernardino Mts.
Visit Sky Watch Friday to discover Skies from all over the world.
http://skyley.blogspot.com/