Contemplate this by Ernest Holmes...

"What if we are confused and distraught and upset and all out of sorts? What if the pressure of the past has appeared to cloud the sunlight of the present? The past is gone and the sun is shining on the other side of the clouds. And so let us deliberately resolve to change our thinking today, and make up our minds that we can have confidence in life.

No one can be hurt by doing this. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose. We can uproot all the unhappy thoughts of the past, all the thoughts of failure, all the doubts and fears, all the little petty animosities and disagreements, if we really want to. And we can create our own future today just be carefully guarding our thoughts. But how can we do this unless our faith in Life is greater than our fear, unless hope rises triumphant over despair, or until Love cancels everything unlovable?"

Those are some strong words. I am happy to have come across them! Now for some implementation... :-)

Learning to respect the paths of others.

Buddhist Boot Camp wisdom:

"...you can't want something more for someone than they want for themselves... some people simply don't believe in the light. (How could I have been so naive as to not know this before?) It doesn't matter if you shine light in their faces, because if they don't believe in it, they won't see it.

I realize now that it's way more important to open our hearts than our eyes. If our hearts are closed, then it doesn't matter what we're looking at - we would never see everything as it truly is: [beautiful]."

~Timber Hawkeye

This conversation last night:

Mini me: My friend always gets green in school. She has never had a yellow.
Me: But you've had a yellow a few times.
Mini me: It is okay. I now get greens everyday. Bygones are bygones (as she said with a wide sweeping arm motion).

Precious. My baby is growing up way too fast! AND her behavior continues to improve. She is learning manners. Some days parenting is tough, but most days I appreciate every second of it. She continues to be the light in my life. Bless her heart.

Moving away and back toward my spiritual center. So many of the trivial matters of each day consume me and pull me from my core being, but when I am really quiet like I was while out on my run on this beautiful fall day, I feel my center. It is there. It is love. It loves all. It forgives all.

Sitting in church a few years back, a quote supposedly uttered by Jesus was described and resonated quite deeply with me.

"Forgive them for they know not what they do."

I searched for opinions of this quote for fun and wholeheartedly agree with one I read that indicates most people operate through ego and are unconscious. It further went on to quote the following which I find to be true and help shed light on Jesus' quote above.

"Every human being has been conditioned to think and behave in certain ways - conditioned genetically as well as by their childhood experiences and their cultural environment."

"If her past were your past, her pain your pain, her level of consciousness your level of consciousness, you would think and act exactly as she does. With this realization comes forgiveness, compassion, and peace."

Simply beautiful and undoubtedly true.

Namaste.

Having the Government shutdown. As sad as a day it is in America to see that Republicans and Democrats can't come to some sort of agreement over the Affordable Care Act which, in turn, delays the FY14 appropriation and continuing resolution and causes the Gov to shut down, it gives me inspiration to vote. Historically, I have chosen (with intention) not to vote. I never necessarily believed in our political system. But this day has lit a fire in me... This country needs a change and I'm going to use my "voice." Won't you consider using yours too?

Beautiful weather.