Better Than Any Story Told

Allow children to be happy in their own way,

for what better way will they find?

Samuel Johnson

Vetah is as precious as they get.  She is three years old, has large blue eyes accompanied by long thick lashes, and long extremely curly dark hair.  Everything about her is feminine.  She is very girly not only in her conversations, but in her dress and body language.  She has a very strong sense of self,  is highly animated, and sweet as she can be.  She is my youngest grandchild.

Vetah goes to play school two days a week, and never misses Sunday School.  She adores her five year old brother, Ezekiel, has an exceptional relationship with both her mom and dad and loves animals.  She is a very interesting little girl and expresses her self very well and constantly.

My son and his family were here on Easter Sunday as was my daughter from Nashville.  Ezekiel and Vetah do not get to see my daughter very often so they enjoyed the time spent playing with her as well as her Golden Retriever, Hannah, who happens to be a Wonder Dog!

The hours flew by and too soon it was time for my son and his family to leave.  After hugs and kisses Ezekiel and his little sister quickly exited out the front door.  The rest of us stood by the front door lingering over our good-byes. 

I could see Ezekiel bouncing around inside of their car in the drive way, but where was Vetah?  I asked everyone, "Where is Vetah?"  My son quickly opened the front door as we lined up behind him to run out and find her.  But we all came to a dead stop when we saw her standing on the front porch.  She looked at us and said, "Shush!"  We all stopped immediately in our tracks.

On my front porch, I have a stone statue of a little girl with wings praying.  And there was Vetah, standing right next to her with hands folded in prayer.  She was cuddled up close to the angel as she was saying a prayer with her own words into the angels ear.  We all stood in reverence inside the door until the child finished her rather lengthy prayer on the porch.

Suddenly her prayer was complete and she turned back into a bundle of energy.  She looked at us with all of her spunk and said, "Okay, we can go!"  Then she dashed off to the car waving good-bye.  We all stood looking at each other. 

Children are absolutely amazing.  Their vivid imaginations can be better than any story told.  They see things adults don't take the time to see and  they hear things we choose to ignore.  Too easily adults dismiss the magic children can bring.  We tell these unbiased perceptive minds they are silly or are making things up.  We instruct them to deny what they clearly experience as truth and reality.

The vision of Vetah bent over praying closely with the stone angel, her little chubby hands politely folded, and her voice church appropriate will linger in my memory forever.  No one could actually hear what she was saying, but from her furrowed brow, we all knew it was sincerely from her huge heart. 

****The name Vetah is a Slavic derivative of the name Elisabeth.  My son chose this name for his daughter as it means to be calm and stable through personal introspection; to use self-discipline to regulate a strong sense of personal power; and highly motivated to fight for a cause. 

Rigorous State

I'm such a girl for the living room.  I really like to stay in my nest and not move.  I travel in my mind, and that that's a rigorous state of journeying for me.  My body isn't that interested in moving from place to place.

Bell Hooks




Maintaining a positive outlook and creating a clear visual of our desires is vital in seeing our dreams come true.    With energy to better our life, and to master challenges we move through life with a healthy balance.  Life will not pass us by if we are awake, alert, and flexible to change.

Timing is never our own, so we must be open to the flow of life and trust in the higher powers.

We will avoid drama by not resisting change.  Change is not necessarily comfortable, but this does not make it bad or wrong.  We cannot achieve our dreams by standing still avoiding opportunities or small steps that will lead us closer to our desires.

If we create a vision or picture of how we will look, feel, and act when we bring happiness into our lives, it will be of great support throughout our day.  When we keep this image of our self close by, rather than thinking negative thoughts, we can flash our picture in our mind.  Picturing every detail helps the mind to re-frame non-stop  self-criticism.  We begin to automatically focus on a positive images minimizing self-sabotage.

After awhile, our vision of happiness becomes part of our day.  Our outlook is brighter, we walk with a bounce in our step, and we find ourselves anticipating good to happen rather than defeat.  We begin to feel better about ourselves, family, friends, and the future.

We begin living our dream in an emotional state, attracting parts of our dream from the physical.  We notice opportunities, create unexpected openings, and move forward towards our goals. There will be times of sadness or pain, but simply put, that is part of life and there is no avoiding it all together. 

Our attitude and determination will carry us through difficult times.  It is in these difficult times we are shaped and formed into better human beings.  We gather compassion and empathy for our selves and for others.  Carrying our vision with us all of the time, we will not be easily deterred.  As we stay engaged with our surroundings, we feel a part of and not separate from others. 

The next time we find our self settling into our nest, get creative and begin to visualize. Imagine 
how we will look wearing confidence, laughter, and a happy-go-lucky smile! Freeze frame that shot and review it throughout the day.



Communication with the Divine

 

 

May I be at peace, May my heart remain open,

May I awaken to the light of my own true nature,

May I be healed, May I be a source of healing

for all beings.

 

May you be at peace, May your heart remain open,

May you awaken to the light of your own true nature,

May you be healed, May you be a source

of healing for all beings.

 

 

Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.

THE WAYS OF THE MYSTIC

 

 

Prayer is a form of communication that allows us to feel connected to the Divine.  Prayer can be expressed in spontaneous words, lyrics, poems, recited aloud, silently or chanted.  There is great liberty in forming prayer and it can be expressed at any time, any place, and in any situation.

 

We need communication with the Divine to feel connected and not separate.  By using prayer throughout our day, we establish calm, awareness, and good will towards others.  Our focus may be less distracted and our accomplishments may be attained prior to scheduling.

 

Frequently, we worry about others, and praying for them is an effective way of helping.  When our children, grandchildren, extended family or friends face life challenges, we can offer heartfelt words of our own to the Divine who is always listening.  This allows us to feel closer to both the Divine and our loved ones.

 

In the grocery store, we may see a frustrated mother yelling at her children ... send her a quick prayer.  Driving home, we may see someone much less fortunate than us ... send them a prayer.  As we pull into our driveway, we may see a neighbor who is challenged with health ... send them a prayer. 

 

Prayer can be a powerful tool, if we but think to use it!

 

 



 

 



Following Hafiz

I should not make any promises right now,

But I know if you Pray

Somewhere in this world ~

Something good will happen.

Hafiz

I frequently use Hafiz's idea of sending prayer out into the world.  It is never a formal prayer on bended knee nor is it memorized in advance.  I might be sitting at a stop light and see a person crossing in front of my car or notice an unknown individual walking down the sidewalk.  I immediately send words from my heart ... just a string of spontaneous positive thoughts.  It is such a brief gesture and so easy to do!

Traveling on the interstate to and from my daughter's home, I drive by a prison.  I pull into the slower lane and begin praying as I approach, while I am in front of and I as I pass by.

I rapidly send thoughts such as: 

May you feel an aspect of joy today!

May you experience a sense of friendship.

May you find forgiveness.

May you find acceptance.

May you discover hope.

May you feel loved once again!

The same holds true for me as I watch the news and view other countries experiencing violence, famine or the wrath of nature.  If I can send positive thoughts in some form of prayer, I don't feel quite so helpless.

All it takes is being mindful to use small spaces of time for the betterment of others.  Just remember to do it frequently and then it becomes a very natural habit!