Library of Life

"It's good to do uncomfortable things.

It's weight training for life."

Anne Lamott

Early lessons were explored in the library, preparing me for the life I would lead. Authors and poets encouraged me to endure, to move forward, and to hope.  Exceptional librarians and the spiritual presence from other realms, beckoned me along the way.

As any other life student, there were some subjects where I excelled, while terribly weak in others.  Chapters were re-written or discarded, but the savored ones were vibrant and industrious.  My jacket cover became stained and individual pages were creased or torn, but I shifted through the learning curve.

Compared to a library, I read all of the books in one section, graduating into the next higher level offered.  There was a necessity to spend hours entrenched in accelerating levels of knowledge and wisdom.  To this day, life as a library pivots  hosts my heart as I pass into the depths of my soul. 

Lighthouse or Super Hero?

"Lighthouses don't go running all over an island looking for boats to save;

they just stand there shining."

Anne Lamott

Thoughts of extending kindness can be developed into high acclaim or they can wither and die.  We have the choice to either ignore the prompt or bring energy to the idea expanding and following through.

Anne Lamott refers to a lighthouse as a beacon of light to draw others to safety; thus, removing the need to be one who physically rescues.  During the past year experiencing the confines of COVID, individuals developed ways of extending kindness without physical involvement.

The goal is not collecting golden badges reflecting upon our actions, but to excel at beaming our help through prayers, love, and light.  The person in need of help receives these silent actions, unknowing the source.  The intention to anonymously send our positive thoughts is far better than racing to the rescue in a super hero manner.

WEAKEN OR SOAR

"It's better to be kind, than to be right."

Anne Lamott

When we maintain clarity, releasing chatter and negative perceptions, our hearts respond with hope.  Somewhere inside, our spirit is waiting for us to use our value and worth. When we establish our personal contribution of kindness and ignore fear, we bring light into our existence.

Applying our lesson learned from our last dance with fear, we find we can skirt around boulders and swim across streams. There is no longer the sense of being right or wrong, just the importance of living as we wish the world to be ... compassion, integrity, and free flowing love.

When we are able to blend our visions, vibrations, and sensations, there is enough focus to attract our desires.  We have the choice to run risk and perceive the ride to manifestation or we can weaken to the  criticism of well intentioned others.  The choice is ours ... weaken or soar!

 

Ancestral Presence

"My mind is a neighborhood,  

I try not to go into alone."

Anne Lamott

With activities limited, we spend more time by our lovely selves.  It may have seemed unique or inspiring at first, but as the months have slowly passed, time is heavy in our hands.  We have the choice to fill open spaces with creative endeavors or unaccountable time slots of television, eating, sleeping or other addictions.

We have free will and an inner voice attempting to guide us.  We can consider fixing a dessert for a neighbor or unearthing years of Christmas in storage.  Which prompts will grab our attention?  What will we choose?  How will we rate our actions as accountable?

My mind is like a very old city library with aisle after aisle of gathered books.  The lights are usually dim, and comfortable chairs wait patiently wait to hold me.  The tendency to drift back into the old stacks provides me with memories, shifting in importance and  displaying wear.  Words are of a  great comfort to me whether my own or someone else's.  It's all about the tone in my voice and just how warmly I welcome ancestral presence.

Turn Your Back and Walk Away

"Lighthouses don't go running all over an island

looking for boats to save;  they just stand

there shining."

Anne Lamott

Docs without Borders travel to numerous countries helping the sick who do not have medicine or options for healing.  They generously use their time, medical skills, and inspiration for others.  Not all of us can be exceptionally spectacular, but each one of us has an inner light that touch the hearts and souls of those present around us.

We all have the ability to thrive wherever we happen to be.  Our focus spears through drama, negativity, and temptations.  We succeed by building our inner light to shine bright enough to see how we can assist others.

To help other people, one does not need to wait until he or she wins the lottery.  A person cannot be discredited based on lack of education.  God has given every human a unique ability to be shine upon others.  We must hold ourselves ready to react to those in need as they appear.  The point is not how much you have, but whether or not you turn your back and walk away.  

Worst Nightmare

"When we are stuck  in our convictions and personas,  we enter into the 

disease of having good ideas and being right ... We think we have a lock 

on truth,  with our burnished surfaces and articulation, but the bigger we  

pump ourselves up,  the easier we are to prick  with a pin.  And the bigger  

we get, the harder it is to see the  earth under our feet.

Anne Lamott

As a younger woman, I was approached by a group to run for the position of a representative leader.  I was flattered and amazed to be asked.  I began questioning what good I would be, but the compliments kept coming as I was encouraged to seek the position.  Soon I was caught up in the rapture, and indeed, I won.

After graciously accepting the position, reality set in and I was overwhelmed by what lay ahead.  Expressing these feelings to the women who supported me, they laughed and said, 'No worries, we'll be calling the shots."  It became apparently clear I was no more than a pawn.  These people had used me to seek control and power.  They had expected me to be a good little lamb and follow along.

By nature, I am a loner or independent with a curiosity of all peoples.  I gathered information from other leaders and researched unbiased opinions for what I was to accomplish.  In the end, I was proud of the progress and improvements that I made and cherished neutral contacts who assisted me along the way.  I am sure I was this group's worst nightmare when I refused to become a puppet, but it was an amazing lesson for me ... understanding the hopes and desires of the people I represented and improving their lot, not mine.