(Photo by Microsoft Clipart) ~~ (Meme – according to Wikipedia – it is any unit of cultural information as a practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.)

I’ve seen others tag each other on other blogs and thought it was interesting but have never taken the chance to enter in and play until now. I’m cheating and using most of what Patricia wrote when she tagged me. Won’t you take the plunge and join me in the fun.

The current meme was passed on to me by Patricia Singleton who writes for Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker. The article that Patricia wrote is called Tag—You’re It—Another Meme.

HERE ARE THE RULES TO THE MEME:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share 4 things in these themes.
4. Tag 4 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. (I am only tagging anyone who reads this and wants to participate. It is not required. Only do it, if it is fun.)
5. Let each random person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website. (My title is the only notification you are getting if you choose to participate.)

4 JOBS I HAVE HAD:
1. Nanny – I’ve always loved kids and enjoyed mine when they were little and I now enjoy our grandchildren so I thought, “Why not.” I watched a baby girl at the age of 3 months for 5 months until her daddy quit his day job to watch her and go back to school. It was a great experience.
2. Secretary/Admin Assistant for most of my life since I graduated from high school – actually thought I would do something different but since I took typing and shorthand in high school I always seemed to fall into this type of work.
3. Self-employed entrepreneur (Wisdom For The Ages) as a facilitator and speaker and now writer on this blog. This is the heart of what I love – learning to connect with people and talk and listen to their stories.
4. Currently working as a document specialist – data entry. It’s funny – I really like it and look forward to going to work every day. To some people, they might think how can you do such a mundane job but to me I welcome it as I get to work without any constant interruptions or answering of phones. I quietly work away in my little cubicle.

4 MOVIES I CAN WATCH OVER & OVER:
1. “It’s a Wonderful Life” – an old 1940’s black and white movie you usually see on TV around Christmas. It’s become a tradition for me to put it on Christmas eve with nothing but the Christmas lights on, the house quiet and everyone else in bed.
2. “Sleepless in Seattle” – I’m a softy for those chick flicks and a happy ending.
3. “Lady Hawk” – an old medieval time love story with a beautiful black Friesian horse. That’s what I enjoyed the most was the horse trotting to the music.
4. Anything funny and on the light side – Steve Martin and Peter Sellers movies.

4 PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1. Philadelphia – actually a small borough south of Philly (Norwood) – with my parents and sister. It’s where I grew up and graduated from school. Nothing too exciting about it with the refineries and typical suburbia.
2. Cape Charles, Virginia – first place where I truly felt at home with my grandparents. I loved being with them and my cousins and the beach. Good memories.
3. North Denver, Colorado – where we settled in shortly after we got out of the military and headed west for the first time leaving roots and family.
4. Bailey, Colorado – a small town in the mountains almost 50 miles from downtown Denver at an elevation of 8500’. We’ve lived here over 25 years and it is our slice of heaven – our home.

4 TV SHOWS THAT I LOVE (when I watch TV it’s mostly reruns):
1. Frasier
2. Northern Exposure
3. Men in Trees
4. Boston Legal

4 PLACES I HAVE BEEN ON HOLIDAY:
1. Virginia
2. Ohio – not for the holiday but to visit my husband’s parents
3. Colorado
4. Colorado – sounds boring but we’ve never gone anywhere for the holiday except to visit family if we’re living there.

4 OF MY FAVORITE DISHES:
1. Shrimp Cocktail
2. Wine and Cheese
3. Veggies and Dip
4. Lobster and Crab (I miss my seafood from Virginia)

4 WEBSITES THAT I VISIT FREQUENTLY: (It was so hard to just pick 4. I read so many. In addition to Patricia’s choices here are some more great sites to check out in spreading the love around.)
1. Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker found at http://patriciasingleton.blogspot.com/
2. The Next 45 Years at http://www.thenext45years.com/blog/
3. Blogging Without A Blog at http://bloggingwithoutablog.com/
4. She-Power.com found at http://she-power.com/

4 PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
I’m happy and content right where I’m at right now. Anything else would just be icing on the cake.

4 BLOGGERS I AM TAGGING:
I am not tagging anyone specifically. If you would like to be tagged to do this meme then go ahead. Have fun with it.

Thank you, Patricia, for tagging me and all of the readers that choose to participate. I used this meme as an opportunity to share more of my life with my readers.

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As I sit here this evening at my kitchen table writing a post, the light is waning but it’s still bright enough to look out back across the field and see something wondrous and beautiful – 3 bull elk grazing. This is my slice of heaven sitting in my home with the Rocky Mountains all around and wildlife close by.

They were there in our neighbor’s yard early this morning before I left for work and again this evening on my return. As my husband took pictures, he was amazed of their size. Their racks are some of the biggest he’s ever seen still in velvet and not fully grown yet.

Here are some pictures (elk photos are copyrighted by Jim Ruppel):

Not only the elk gave me a send off this morning and a greeting this evening but a rainbow peaked out from some early evening thunder clouds off in the distance having just moved through.

~~ (Rainbow Photo by Microsoft Clipart)~~
Whew!! No matter where you live there’s beauty all around and it’s your slice of heaven too.

From the mountains where I live, to the beaches on either coast, to the southern bayous over to the desert, to mention a few – this is a beautiful world.

These are just some of the many blessings graciously given us at no charge and, “Oh” how they touch my heart and soul in this little slice of heaven.

“A Moment of Happiness”
A moment of happiness,
you and I sitting on the veranda,
apparently two, but one in soul, you and I.
We feel the flowing water of life here,
you and I, with the garden’s beauty
and the birds singing.
The stars will be watching us,
and we will show them
what it is to be a thin crescent moon.
You and I unselfed, will be together,
indifferent to idle speculation, you and I.
The parrots of heaven will be cracking sugar
as we laugh together, you and I.
In one form upon this earth,
and in another form in a timeless sweet land.

~~Jalalu’l-din Rumi

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IMAGINE…You may say I’m a dreamer… But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us…and the World will live as one~~John Lennon~~
Do you have some things in mind you would like to do or some place you would like to visit before your time with this life on earth is over? I have a small list of things on my frig and now and then I add to it.

I’ll share them with you and I’d like you to comment and share some of the things that stand out for you that you would like to do. Here are mine:

1. SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS (AURORA BOREALIS). I’ve read about them and have seen glimpses of them on TV shows now and then. But, I can only imagine how mystical they are in their greens and blues swirling around and moving with the currents of the air.

Credits Go To Carlos (RioMondego) On YouTube

2. PARAGLIDE. I once saw this TV spot on Colorado Getaways of a woman and her friend trying out the adventure of tandem paragliding. If you have someone with you on the first time out, you may feel more secure. What would that feel like soaring like a bird?

3. VISIT SCOTLAND. I have ancestry that came from Scotland (both grandparents) and a friend that has frequently visited the Findhorn Foundation. I have my father’s 100-year old book written about my great-great-great Grandfather, Thomas Edward, called “The Life of a Scotch Naturalist” by Samuel Smiles, LL.D. He was given an award from Queen Victoria in the late 1800’s and one of the people who gave him tribute in the book for his work was Charles Darwin. I would love to visit and explore some of the places talked about in his book and do a genealogy research as well as take in the sights and get to know the people.

4. SWIM WITH THE DOLPHINS. I met a woman who practices Reiki a few years back who took regular trips to Cancun, Mexico to swim with the dolphins. She invited me to go with their group but I wasn’t able to go at that time. She talked about the spiritual and therapeutic benefits her clients received and the wonderful experiences.

5. VISIT THE GROTTO OF LOURDES, FRANCE AND TAKE PART IN THE EVENING PROCESSION. Dr. Wayne Dyer talked in one of his lectures about participating in this procession in the small town of Lourdes, France. He said this procession takes places every evening from early spring to the fall. No one advertises, there aren’t any real instructions as to what to do. Ten to fourteen thousand people from all over the world show up every evening with candles. There’s a strong peace and energy force somehow orchestrating the event. There are wheelchairs and people with crutches and no pushing or shoving. It all seems to move and flow so effortlessly. It was a powerful experience for him.

6. SEE THE TULIPS IN FULL BLOOM IN HOLLAND. I love flowers and can just imagine the fragrance in the air as you take in field after field of brightly colored tulips.

This is my list so far. I know there are many other wonderful things on this God’s earth to discover and explore. As I learn about them, I’ll add them to my list. I’m excited for the time when I’ll get the chance to visit and do these things and cross them off my list. How about you? What are some of the things you’d like to do – places you’d like to see?

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(Photo by Microsoft Clipart) ~~ Mother’s Day – a special day honoring all mothers far and wide. I didn’t want the day to end without sending warm thoughts and best wishes to all of you out there privileged to be mothers.

I hope your day is filled with laughter and sweet sounds of children at play.

I hope you are honored and treated with respect this special day with much gratitude for which you so deserve.

I hope you are reminded of days gone by of times where all you did was run here and chase there making treasures of memories for the wee ones now grown.

You are a Mother – a role to be cherished for having the awesome responsibility of bearing children and taking part in keeping them safe, watching them grow and passing onto them your wisdom and stories.

On Children
Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

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