Shining

That is what one spirit visitor said during my session with the Soul Reader. Here is just a little snippet of the messages for me on my birthday.

It has been so hard. You have been in a small, dark space and have walked through the mountain and now you shine. Just shining! I SEE you. I didn't see you before in this way. I don't think you did either. But you SHINE.

Keep going, keep going into the great wide open - with open heart, open mind, open eyes. You are shining. I love you.

The future is ahead - it is shining.

Birthdays are Special Days

Today was indeed wonderful. I visited with the Soul Reader - my dear sister friend M - gave me the session as part of my birthday gift. It was my third session with the Medium - every time is deeper. I will post more about the messages I received during our session in the next few days.

This was a beautiful day - many greetings and gifts from loving family and friends around the country. Many singing phone calls and voice mails :) You are never to too old to hear the birthday song.

I began my day with coffee with my dear friend Mark and went from there. A memorable day with the right amount of quiet reflective time, solitude and connection with those I love. I am blessed and filled with gratitude. Om Shanti.

My Astrological Forecast

Happy Birthday for Wednesday, June 25, 2008:

Many of your goals and dreams become possible the first half of this birthday year. You need to ask for what you want more often and discover what it is you need to make yourself happy. You often think one way and suddenly a flash of insight transforms your thinking. You are growing and evolving in new ways. The second half of your year, new people, new intellectual and spiritual concepts and/or potential travel will define this period. If you are single, you will have to work to keep this status. You have many admirers. If you are attached, you'll find that your relationship must grow if it is to maintain its validity. Aries can trigger you.

FOR ANOTHER ASTROLOGER'S PERSPECTIVE

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (JUNE 25) 2008

There's an enticing air of intrigue around you. You're not trying to be interesting, it's just that your dignified instinct is not to talk about the minutia of your decision-making process, and so you're imbued with silent power. Continue to trust your private process. September brings a windfall. Leo and Sagittarius are mad about you. Your lucky numbers are: 48, 20, 52, 37 and 31.

More Later Today..............

26 Months

Yes, that's right - today is my 26 month Quit Anniversary!! Oh Happy Day. I consider this one of my most treasured achievements. It is the embodiment of one day at a time. I am definitely a joyful nonsmoker - done, over, kaput, nada, never again.

The healthy and overall sense of well-being that goes with quitting is enormous. Even if you are not a big smoker and do not feel that it is compromising your health - it is. I have more stamina, more lung capacity when exercising, and I don't smell!!! If you are reading this and considering a quit - please do it, for yourself and for those you love. Quitnet is the premier online support site for quitting your addiction - it is peer support and great educational resources available 24/7.

So, celebrate with me today - my freedom from nicotine addiction and my knowing I can meet any goal to which I totally commit myself. Thank you too for all the unwavering encouragement and support my blog buddies provided me during those first months - you know who you are - gracias.

Here are my Quitnet stats:

791 days, 9 hours, 40 minutes and 23 seconds smoke free. 11871 cigarettes not smoked. $2,673.00 and 3 months, 16 hours of my life saved! My quit date: 4/23/2006 9:35:00 PM

I am FREE!!!!!

Weekend Report

Such a busy couple of days. I spent most of the weekend working in the yard and staining the deck. The deck was a major project. Sweep, scrub, clean between the boards with a scraper, sweep some more, and wash it all down. Let it dry for 24 hours, sweep again and then three coats of stain. Nothing says summer in my Minnesota backyard than a pristine new stain on the deck, lots of fresh basil in the garden and lovely warm, breezy days - they make me happy to be alive. Pictures are on their way.

Just a Quick Drive By

Goodness - here it is Thursday night and no post from me all week. I am doing an interesting, stressful and complex new project - my week has flown. Hope everyone is well - I will catch up over the weekend.

Rest in Peace - A Weekend of Loss

On Friday I came home to learn Tim Russert died suddenly at his desk that afternoon. No warning - a heart attack. An amazing journalist and human being was gone at the age of 58.

This afternoon I learned that Maya's Granny passed away at 2:30 this morning also from a heart attack. MG had been ill in recent weeks still it was shocking to drop by her site to see if there was an update from her family - to learn the news. MG was a blogger with wit, intelligence, humor and definite points of view to share. She will be missed by many.

My thoughts are with the Russert Family and MG's family as they begin to travel the path of loss and mourning. Life is so fleeting - we are here and then we are gone. I believe there is more to this universe than what we see with our eyes. I know our spirits go on. But oh, it is so lonely and hard without those we love on this earth in our arms.

Notes From the Other Side


I divested myself of despair
and fear when I came here.

Now there is no more catching
one's own eye in the mirror,

there are no bad books, no plastic,
no insurance premiums, and of course

no illness. Contrition
does not exist, nor gnashing

of teeth. No one howls as the first
clod of earth hits the casket.

The poor we no longer have with us.
Our calm hearts strike only the hour,

and God, as promised, proves
to be mercy clothed in light.

Jane Kenyon

A New Day

Happy Saturday.

Inspiration

This is the message from Daily Om this morning. Ah, such a good reminder of where I am in my life.

Life Transitions
The Death And Rebirth Of Self

Sometimes a part of us must die before another part can come to life. Even though this is a natural and necessary part of our growth, it is often painful or, if we don’t realize what’s happening, confusing and disorienting. In fact, confusion and disorientation are often the messengers that tell us a shift is taking place within us. These shifts happen throughout the lives of all humans, as we move from infancy to childhood to adolescence and beyond. With each transition from one phase to another, we find ourselves saying good-bye to an old friend, the identity that we formed in order to move through that particular time.

Sometimes we form these identities in relationships or jobs, and when we shift those areas of our life become unsettled. Usually, if we take the time to look into the changing surface of things, we will find that a shift is taking place within us. For example, we may go through one whole chapter of our lives creating a protective shell around ourselves because we need it in order to heal from some early trauma. One day, though, we may find ourselves feeling confined and restless, wanting to move outside the shelter we needed for so long; the new part of ourselves cannot be born within the confines of the shell our old self needed to survive.

We may feel a strange mixture of exhilaration and sadness as we say good-bye to a part of ourselves that is dying and make way for a whole new identity to emerge in its place. We may find inspiration in working with the image of an animal who molts or sheds in order to make way for new skin, fur, or feathers to emerge. For example, keeping a duck feather, or some other symbol of transformation, can remind us that death and rebirth are simply nature’s way of evolving. We can surrender to this process, letting go of our past self with great love and gratitude, and welcoming the new with an open mind and heart, ready for our next phase of life.

Forever in My Heart

Always and forever - Tom - I have been thinking of you so much. There is a hole in my heart - the eternal longing for you. For your smile, your hugs, your hand holding - our dreams - our life. Gone. Forever.

A New Look for the Old Blog

I have no idea what got into me tonight. I had no intention of making changes yet here is my new look. I like it a lot.

This is the third lay-out I have used in the last three years. The first was black, black, black - to match the depths of my grief and hopelessness. The next template was light and white. Oh, I do remember how liberating it felt to make that change.

My life transition continues - the look of this blog seems more appropriate now. Still light but with more colors. I like the features on the new blogger templates that allowed me to more easily customize fonts, colors, and add different content to the blog. I still need to add my blogroll and I have some other ideas I want play around with but that is a project for tomorrow night and beyond.

I hope you like my new look - feeling kinda fancy tonight. Now off to bed - Goodnight.