It takes courage to be real and authentic. It takes courage to live the life you have chosen and to not step to the same steps as others around you. As I was writing this post, I was reminded, again, of something I had been putting off. It was to send an e-mail sharing with someone an experience I had over 25 years ago. I had been avoiding it because I didn’t want to face another rejection or someone making light of it or excusing it away as had happened so many times before. But, when I sat down and started on the first couple sentences of this post, I was reminded to send this e-mail again and I decided to just do it.

I’m not sure that really qualifies as courage in light of people all around the world standing up and putting their lives on the line for a cause they believe in. But, on the gentler side, courage is living this life everyday. It’s courage getting up every morning when that alarm goes off to go to work to bring in an income. It’s courage when a mother is tending to a sick child and hasn’t gotten much sleep. It takes courage just driving down the freeway. And, it’s courage when you’re willing to get in touch with yourself and give up old habits and old beliefs that are no longer serving you.

People all over are courageous in the large ways and in the small ways. It may not make headlines but, in the little things, the love and attention you bring to it are no small miracle.

It takes courage to face some of the challenges brought our way and to grow and learn from the experience of just being alive. I believe that when we’re met with a challenge we’re also given the ability, knowledge and strength to see it through. Some of us may wonder how some do it. When they connect to their source, it all seems to be a little bit easier. There’s hope. There’s a way.

I’m reminded of a poem written by Oriah Mountain Dreamer called, “The Invitation”. Maybe you’ve read it. She was going through a difficult time and went to a party seeking someone she could talk to on a deeper level. She was looking for someone that would be genuine. She was disappointed and came home late that night and sat down at a table and wrote this poem. Sometimes, we want people to be real and that’s what this poem expresses – the hunger to connect with someone who is also seeking value and worth.

Give yourselves credit for what you do on a daily basis. It takes courage and I’m sure that whatever life hands to you, you’ll be there in a heartbeat to answer the call.

From the kitchen table – Pat

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With Thanksgiving earlier this year and now being in the season of giving and receiving, it may also be a good time to reflect again on how blessed we are. I’ll be noting some things in this posting to be grateful for and as you read on you may also add some things of your own.

Laughter – joy – family – peace!
Wind, rain, sunshine, snow!

Instead of always looking around at what we don’t have. We need to make time to seriously look at what we have and be thankful. Have you ever noticed how your attitudes change when you consciously choose to be grateful for all the little things around you?

Love – health – homes – work!
Eyes, ears, nose, mouth!

At first, because we’re changing modes and looking at what we have been blessed with, it may be hard to start rattling off a list of things to be thankful for. After you’ve mentioned the obvious things, you have to start to think. This is good because we’re giving it our full attention.

Children – nature – sun – atmosphere!
Clothes, food, water, heat!

You notice how you feel inside when you’re in an attitude of gratitude? It’s like there are no problems in the world. It feels peaceful and calm and safe. You just want to stay there.

Seeing – hearing – smelling – tasting!
Husband, wife, mother, father!

When you feel calm and peaceful you’re energy is high and you’re in a pure place where the law of attraction is in operation.

Walking – talking – running – jumping!
Friends, co-workers, class-mates, neighbors!

By putting ourselves in an attitude of gratitude, we are focusing on the positives and not the negatives. By focusing on the blessings we realize the possibilities.

Hands – legs – fingers – toes!
Hair, clothes, shoes, toys!

The list could go on and on but the point is to change our focus and feel in our hearts what we truly have been blessed with. It’s not just things like I’ve listed above; it’s our nature and strengths and abilities. Each one of us is writing our own personal story with our own unique setting and characters and how we interact and learn and grow is how we tell the story. Along the way, we are blessed and it’s not something we can hold onto. It’s meant to flow and move on and bless the next person and so on. Blessings are moving things with a life and energy that are meant to love and heal.

Healing – intelligence – strength!
Embrace – fortitude – persistence!
Unconditional love – patience – endurance!
Will power – faith – kindness – light worker!
Liberty – freedom – country – community!

Now, where did you get all those things? You are a wonderful creation with powers and abilities yet to be discovered. The divine knows who you are and you have been blessed beyond your wildest imagination! Let’s be thankful!

From the kitchen table – Pat
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We all have people in our lives that we love and love us. Do you ever stop to think if there are conditions of love that you have placed on the ones you love or vice versa? In turn, are there conditions we have to meet before we are loved by those in our lives we want to love us? I think we put these conditions in place automatically without giving it much thought. It’s not something we consciously realize that we even do. In fact, I would be willing to bet without knowing it you may have put your own conditions on love. It’s so subtle that it’s hardly noticeable except to the person you love.

Relationships, for example, are supposed to be partnerships. But how many times do we point the finger at our partner blaming him/her for not following through on their part – or disappointing us in some way? When things aren’t going the way we want them to our loved ones seem to be the first to catch it all. I’m reminded of something the famous singer, James Taylor, said in an interview last weekend on a program called Sunday Morning. He said, “Unconditional love can melt the hardest rock.” I never heard it put quite that way but in just a few words he captured it perfectly having had some rocky relationships himself and problems with substance abuse. All the times that it may have been pointed out to him, “How he was ruining his life”, or “How he was going to lose everything if he didn’t straighten out”, didn’t seem to work – except unconditional love. Our hearts are hard when we know we’re messing up and we’re not doing all of what we’re supposed to be doing. We don’t want anyone pointing it out to us. We wouldn’t hear it. We only hear the tapes going on in our heads all the time, anyway.

So, how does someone love unconditionally? How do you love this way without being brought down or sometimes physically hurt in the process? When you accept their behavior are you enabling them to continue on the same path? This is a conundrum to me. I don’t know the best course of action to take and still love unconditionally. When you have a pet, that animal loves you unconditionally and accepts you no matter what mood you’re in. They’ll leave you alone if they sense they could be in danger and keep loving you from a distance. I don’t think it’s on the same level as with humans because of our thought processes but on a simpler level there’s something to be learned.

The conclusion I’ve made is that I believe unconditional love only works with the guidance and insight from God – your Source, Higher Power – whatever label you place on it. When you seek to follow that guidance and listen to your heart, you’ll be shown how to give that unconditional love no matter who you choose to love or what the situation and your ego won’t be involved. Each individual and situation is unique and no one person knows what is going on in a person’s heart and mind and we have to trust on spiritual guidance. No two situations appearing alike can be treated the same.

When I was meditating earlier today, I was able to feel unconditional love. It was gentle and sweet, safe and all encompassing. Have you felt that in your quiet moments of meditation or prayer – or just quiet moments? There’s a presence that knows you from the core of your being and lovingly accepts YOU without recourse. It feels so inviting – so good! You’re accepted totally for who you are not what you’ve done. You may not be receiving what you want in life because what you believe and act on is keeping you from what you want but through it all – you’re loved – bottom line. What you’re wanting is not being withheld from you because you’re not living up to some expectation. We block these gifts and blessings ourselves. This presence only knows who you truly are and your potential and only wants good things for us – loving us unconditionally.

How about loving like that? It’s not as simple as I’ve presented it here; in fact, more could be written, in volumes, and probably has. What are your thoughts today on unconditional love and how have you experienced it and given it?

From the kitchen table – Pat
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Merry Christmas and greetings to everyone around the world of all faiths. We send you peace and good tidings from our home to yours. May you have love, joy and glad tidings now and throughout the whole year.

Photo by Ashley Hittinger at www.sxc.hu.home

From the kitchen table – Pat
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I talked in an earlier post, “Finding Inspiration”, on this topic and wanted to share more. Inspiration can come from a number of ways. This time of year, especially with the music and gathering of loved ones and friends, those warm memories and thoughts are created. But what if you don’t have the external reminders that bring inspiration? What do you draw on then?

Sometimes, it’s just a passing thought and if you catch it and hold it, something can materialize from it and you’ll be amazed at the outcome. I’ll give you an example of inspiration that happened to me.

Back in 2000, I was still working in the corporate world and I was reading a book from Ram Dass entitled, Still Here, which stirred me. I came across a passage where he’s talking about facilitating an Elder Circle through the Omega Institute in New York. He describes it:

“The oldest people in the group sit in a large circle, and the younger people sit just behind them. We use a talking stick, a custom adopted from a Native American tradition, and as they are ready, members of the inner circle can walk to the center, take the talking stick, return to their seats, and share their wisdom with the rest of the group….This is an opportunity for people to share their own wisdom and to contribute it to the collective group wisdom. Many people flower in the richness of this process, as the group becomes aware of how each person holds some part of the complex mosaic that is elder wisdom.”

I read this and had a fleeting thought, “Why not have something like this in the corporate world? We need to be able to talk and ‘flower’.” I mentioned it to my manager and he said to put something together and that evening on the way home on the bus, there I sat in the back writing notes in the back pages of a pocket calendar. My bus ride was 2 hours long with having to change buses in the middle of it all – I kept writing. The thoughts and ideas just kept flowing so much so that it was hard to contain not to mention I was running out of room to write on the pages of that small calendar. By the time I reached my destination, I had a draft outline and that night I put it in a presentation which I gave to my boss the next day. I didn’t think much about it until a couple of days later when he walked passed my desk from a meeting and said, “You’re on the hook!” I followed him into his office and asked him what he meant and he said, “You’re on the hook to give your talking-stick presentation in the next staff meeting tomorrow.” I was nervous and scared but I knew the birth of these talks was a result of acting on this inspiration. You can read another experience on this in my very first posting “Truth and Beauty”.

I hope you find inspiration today in whatever you’re doing. That still small voice is poised to whisper in your ear some thought or suggestion that may put you on track for a whole new life. Tune in and enjoy the ride.

From the kitchen table – Pat
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