Reflections

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  1. O.Christina

    The values shared, from my heart. Friendship and Love. Thank you for this question. Have a good day, you all who share and visit here.

    10 months ago
  2. Robin Ann

    Today was a day of remembering to make phone calls on my daughter’s behalf. This was the only thing on my mind besides work today.
    However, I also received phone calls from very caring and thorough staff where she is at. I know it is one day at a time but I have renewed hope that this may be the right program for her : ).

    10 months ago
    1. Anna

      may you be courageous and confident, may you be surrounded by kindness and peace. May your daughter find the light that will shine her way.

      10 months ago
      1. Robin Ann

        Thank you Anna for your kind words : )

        10 months ago
    2. Joseph McCann

      Peace and kindness you and you daughters’ way Robin Ann.

      10 months ago
      1. Robin Ann

        Than you Joseph, I appreciate your kindness : )

        10 months ago
  3. pkr

    I am remembering my dad today. He was “one of the good guys”. I miss him.
    I am also remembering to be mindful of my desire/goal to be peace, calm & serene in the midst of a busy day.🙏🏻🕊❤️

    10 months ago
  4. luv-1-nutter

    Feeling pressure to talk and compartmentalize certain aspects of myself, setting the healthy assertive boundaries and limits.. Ask what is controllable and uncontrollable? Important and unimportant? by knowing if it’s important and/or unimportant can rate the worry, and then in grateful living can spend my mornings and evening mostly in gratitude. Been thinking about my envious nature due to material attachment.. the middle path to enlightenment is separation from everything and everyone, and by doing GL opens my heart. This is the way I came to spiritual self realization.

    10 months ago
  5. Charlie T

    Ah, the past. I’ve spent a lot of time
    there. I still do. Trying to make sense
    of my current situation requires that
    I think about the past. Not in a longing
    way, but in an archaeological way.
    Digging through my earliest memories.
    Uncovering the traumas that caused
    my brain to develop mechanisms to
    survive. And hopefully develop an
    awareness that allows me to be a more
    authentic version of myself and reduce
    some of the suffering.
    The “Word of the day” by David Whyte,
    Is a more accurate way of describing
    how I want to live and is really where I
    want to dwell. Im trying to remember to
    catch myself and come back to the
    present, when I find myself pointlessly
    re living and re litigating past situations.
    Of course, when doing my Gratitude
    meditation, I do think of the people that
    have left this place, as a way of keeping
    them with me. Remembering them in a
    way that honors them and their
    contribution to who I am.

    10 months ago
  6. Carol

    Over the Memorial Day Weekend, I found myself remembering WWII. My father left for the war when I was 3 months old and did not return until I was 3 years old. He was a top turret gunner and the mechanic on board of a B-17, flying 32 bombing missions over Germany.

    He did not talk much about the war when he returned home but in his 80’s my brother and I ask him to make a series of recordings about his life and he shared a story about a bombing mission in which his plane took very heavy flack and the hydraulic fluid that controlled the landing gear and brakes was hit and the pilot told him that the gauges were telling him that the plane’s wheels could not be lowered for landing and the brakes would not function.

    Dad crawled around in the belly of that plane and crimped the major leaks the anti aircraft guns had caused. Then he collected urine from every member of the crew. He told the pilot to call ahead and request an alternate landing site with a longer runway because they would need it.

    He directed the pilot to holler back to him when he needed to lower the plane’s wheels for landing. My Dad stationed himself where he could introduce the urine into the hydraulic system and hoped it would create enough pressure to lower the wheels and engage the brakes. His plan worked. It was a stress filled landing and they used every inch of that longer runway but they made it safely back to England.

    Shortly after my Dad’s death, I shared this story with an Air Force Colonel who I was visiting with while on a commercial flight to see my family. He said, “32 bombing missions?”

    I said, “Yes, After he completed his 25 missions, Dad filled in for other airmen from other flight crews when a member of their crew was sick or injured.”

    He said, “You have no idea how lucky you were that your Dad came home.”

    I found myself sharing this memory of my father when my first reaction to the question was originally to share a Morning Med from 2021 so I will go ahead and paste it below. Today’s quote from David Whyte made me think of it. It contains a breath exercise from Dr. Larry Ward called “The Five Remembrances.”

    Morning Meds Feb 19 2021 Life’s Web

    “We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

    “Dr. Larry Ward in his book “America’s Racial Karma: An Invitation to Heal” says he begins each day breathing and contemplating these versus, giving five to seven breath cycles to each verse:

    I am of the nature to grow old. There’s no way to escape growing old.

    I am of the nature to have ill health. There’s no way to escape ill health.

    I am of the nature to die. There’s no way to escape death.

    All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.

    My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.”

    I also like the following prayer which was posted at the Unitarian Universalist Braver/Wiser Website: “Dear holy one, mark us for all to witness that we are connected by our mortality. Impermanence, mortality, ashes, dust: this is the truth of being human. Remind us that this truth is what connects us. Remind us, also, that from love we come and to love we will return.” Rev. Lora Brandis, Braver/Wiser Weekly Meditation 2/17/2021

    10 months ago
  7. Diane

    Yesterday was my day of remembrance. Memorial Day was celebrated here in the U.S.
    It was an especially meaningful day for me. May 29th, 1944 my father’s ship the USS Block Island was torpedoed and sunk off the Canary Islands.
    33 years later, on the same day…..May 29th 1977 my father died tragically in a fire at the age of 53. I was just 21 years old.

    ~Remembering my dad, Eugene Francis Xavier…..a gregarious and charming Irishman. I wish I could have known him better and longer in this life.

    ~Blessings on your day everyone.

    10 months ago
    1. Michele

      I am sorry that date has sad and heartbreaking meaning for you. May 29, 1995, 28 yrs ago, my daughter, Kerry, was born. I gave her a beautiful Irish name. (along with her sister Bridget)

      10 months ago
    2. pkr

      Diane, your story of your dad brought a tear to my eye. Thank you to Eugene Francis Xavier for his service. May he Rest In Peace. 🙏🏻🖤🕊

      10 months ago
    3. Carol

      Diane, Thanks for sharing. I, too, thought of my Dad this weekend.

      10 months ago
  8. Banning

    When I initially read this I was thinking of people but as I read the other reflections I realized it can also mean remembering something about yourself… if I focus on the question and think about it I need to remember that I am in control of myself. If I want to see changes in my life I have full 100% control over that and no one else does. No one can stop me or tell me not to do something, I have total control. I need to remind myself of this because often I give up thinking whats the point in trying my environment will never change. But the truth is, my environment can change as much as I want it to… I AM IN CONTROL!

    10 months ago
  9. c
    carol

    Be mindful of — I don’t need an ego that strives to protect from non-existent threats. i don’t need reactivity. I don’t need past traumas to influence my presence.
    This leads to what do I need– self compassion.

    10 months ago
  10. Yram

    I need to remember my thoughts and feelings are valid.

    10 months ago
  11. Nannette

    I think that today- I need to stop for a bit and reflect on who I am …and what do I need to do with the hours, days, weeks, months or years that I have left in this world. Do I want to continue as I have or walk a different road? As I have said before…I have a great life…all that I need and want. But inside me…I know I can do better as a person…So today I will take some time to pray and think about who I am and how I want to be remembered. I also will pray for those who have given their lives for our country and those who are working today and every day to keep us safe. Thank you everyone for the start of a great day!

    10 months ago
    1. Barb C

      Thinking about how I want to be remembered–that’s a centering topic. Thank you for this. I’m having trouble finding a way into this question, for some reason, and this was helpful.

      10 months ago
  12. L
    Linda Herman

    Sometimes I have to work so hard to slow down to stop and think about gratitude. I am always trying to make everything better and am so busy. I just want to pause and notice all the wonderful things around me. My family – although crazy at times – my house – my cats – my wonderful work that I get scared about that I am not doing a good enough job. Just to breathe!!! And to express love to all those around me. And to be grateful for everything.

    10 months ago
    1. Nannette

      You sound like a wonderful person, Linda. Stop and take a deep breath …and some time for yourself. It sounds like you are doing a terrific job at all you do. You deserve to take a moment or two …just to be you. Blessings!

      10 months ago
  13. Sheila

    Remembering I am not promised tomorrow and to appreciate everyone in my life and each precious moment. Peace, love and blessings to all 🙏💞

    10 months ago
    1. Carol

      Sheila, Thanks for your wisdom. I needed it today.

      10 months ago
      1. Sheila

        Carol, thank you for your kind reply! May your day be filled with gentle blessings. 🙏

        10 months ago
  14. Pilgrim

    Remembering my Dad these days. He passed away on Memorial Day, in his 50’s. That was when I learned what a broken heart feels like.

    10 months ago
    1. Diane

      Good morning Pilgrim……blessed prayer Tuesday. I have a similar remembrance…another way that God and the Universe has connected us. May our memories continue to heal our hearts.
      Om Shanti friend 🙏

      10 months ago
      1. Pilgrim

        Blessings to you, my friend. I am grateful to find you here today. May you be well.

        10 months ago
  15. Joseph McCann

    I do not know who is calling out for remembrance today. As the aging process continues, I have met many memorable characters in my time on the planet. Henry, Emily, Dwayne, Virginia, Ralph, Alice. Ralph, Flora, Paul, Randi, Lupe, Pete, Frank, Rufus, Juan to name several. I have lived in a rural area of Colorado, the San Luis Valley, for 44+ years. I tend to isolate in a place that is not heavily populated and tend to make connections with somewhat eccentric folks. All listed have touched my life in ways and at random moments something brings back a memory of them. True characters all of them. RIP

    10 months ago
    1. Diane

      Joseph…we moved to Colorado from New Jersey 2 years ago to be near our daughters as we continue to age. We have been traveling around the state exploring our new and very different surroundings. The San Luis Valley and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains felt mystical to me when we visited the area last year. Truth be told we would choose to live in a more rural area if it wasn’t so far from our children. We lived in rural western NJ on preserved farmland before moving here.
      I’m grateful that we have so much beauty surrounding us…and the view of the Rocky Mountains from our community never fails to bring me joy. At the end of June, another adventure awaits…a trip to Salida and Canon City area.
      ~Blessings

      10 months ago
      1. Linda

        I was born in Salida, and my sister was born in Canon City! How nice to read your message today and be reminded where we came from. We both live in other states now, but we had the pleasure of visiting both towns a few years ago. It was a treat!

        10 months ago
        1. Joseph McCann

          Ralph and Flora from my reflection were from Salida, Linda. My daughter’s basketball team when she was in high school played Buena Vista and Salida once each year. Stunning geography those Colligate Peaks!

          10 months ago
        2. Diane

          Wow…small world Linda! Thank you for sharing….made me smile. 😊

          10 months ago
    2. Nannette

      Your home area sounds wonderful, Joseph!! My husband and I also tend to isolate in a place that is not heavily populated. Wishing you a lovely day filled with good memories, happiness and new memories. Blessings to you…and as always thank you for your words of wisdom and kindness.

      10 months ago
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