Visited the Museum of Divine Statues today. So beautiful. I love this quote: "In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal."
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Me: I didn't sleep well
Mom: You look good, you don't look tired Me: It's Laura Mercier Mom: It's the Lord's Mercy? Me: Same thing Hahahaha...for you savvy chicks who are in the know and in need, you know that Laura Mercier is a makeup brand. While I don't wear too much makeup, Laura Mercier's foundation is a miracle. It's a very thin cream that gently smooths out one's complexion. She can take you from ok to flawless in one application. Obviously...mom had never heard of Laura Mercier! It's funny though Laura Mercier sort of is like the Lord's Mercy -- gently covering us and our blemishes, our faux pas, our regrets. Always ready to take us back with open arms and smooth things out. I was thinking about mercy this season. I was thinking about how I hate it when someone dents my car, leaves a blemish and doesn't leave a note. I was thinking of the times throughout my life that this has happened. Some big dents some little dents...no note. I did not feel mercy. But yesterday, I was thinking of a different angle and about the mercy I have received when hitting someone else's car. In fact I was kind of astounded as I thought back on a couple of incidents of mercy. One time, I was at a red light, and I was multi-tasking in the car....don't ever ever do that. But out of the corner of my eye I saw a light turn green, so at full throttle I hit the gas pedal and slammed into the car in front of me. Turns out the green light was for the turning lane, not mine. The guy I hit pulled his car over, and I apologized profusely. His car was kind of scratched and beat up a bit, so my dent kind of fit right in. Still, I was responsible and ready to pay. He looked it over and said, "Oh, it's not so bad...don't worry about it." I couldn't believe it. I called him a few days later to see how he was, and he said he was OK. Then I saw him later that week at a store, and I said (drumroll please) "We keep running into each other..." He smiled and told me to stay away from him. Haha Another time on a VERY windy day my car door flew open and really bashed the door of the car next to me. I left a note on the windshield apologizing and asked the owner of the car to call me. A very upbeat woman called back and said, "Thanks for the note! It's not that bad, don't worry about it!" Huh? I had put a huge dent and really scraped the paint on her car. Wow. Mercy. Who needs your mercy this season? Who needs your forgiveness? Here's to Laura Mercier and the Lord's Mercy...sometimes you need a little of both. Love, love, love to all of you. May you have sweet dreams, sweet treats, happy holidays, comfort, and lots of fun! Love, Blessed I pray a lot. Prayer is my connection to peace and eventual clarity. It is my plug-in to the Source. It's not that prayer is a means to get what we want, rather it is a way to gently shape our interior lives, which impacts our external lives. It's a way to come into deep relationship with a loving God. This is a prayer I say when I am feeling calm: “Let me keep listening to you, God. Let me hear your thoughts and words that are much more comforting and clear than any thoughts or words I create on my own. Let me hear your sweet voice of clarity. Every time I start to stray, obsess, or ruminate about worries, concerns, or issues that may not be resolved in the way that I expect or in my timing, please bring me back to you and your loving guidance. Thank you for the abundance and blessings in my life. Bless and heal us.” This is a prayer I say when I am upset: “Where are you God? Where have you been? Why would a loving God allow all of this? You must not be as all powerful as people say you are because an all-powerful God would make things automatically better for those who are suffering so much. I don't understand. Who are you really?” The latter is a painful but honest prayer. It is a prayer that leads me to further exploration of who God actually is. Often, it leads me back to biblical verses such as “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV), or "The Lord is on my side...I will not fear" (Psalms 118:6 KJV). Ahhh...the Lord is on my side -- not easy to remember sometimes. While there are many things I don't know, what I do know -- as a result of prayerful and soul-searching times -- is that God is love, and this love is available to all of us at any time. Prayer leads me right back to this fact. I remember seeing the video story of a man who was 70 years of age, and for the first time he was entering the first grade – yes, the first grade. He looked into the camera and said: “My mother’s prayer has finally been answered – I am going to get an education.” I thought, now that is faith. How many years did that mother's prayer take before it was answered? Yet there he was, getting his education and starting out in the first grade at 70 years of age. Fantastic. We will never fully understand the mystery of prayer. Do you pray? If so, keep praying dear ones, no matter your style of prayer, the words you choose, your level of experience in praying, whether joyful or discouraged, or whether you pray alone or with others. Don't worry about the outcome of your prayers. Just keep praying. If you haven't prayed you might try it. Persistent and honest prayer will change your life. Prayer helps change our lives for the better as we find our true center. Has prayer helped you? How do you pray? Please let us know in the comments below. We would love to hear from yoU! (Written by Jane Hart, copyright 2014) I've been using a phrase with my friends recently to describe difficult events, moments, or days. I say, "I'm down the rabbit hole." The phrase has not required any explanation when I say it, but it refers to those occurrences in life that simply cannot and will not be avoided and tend to cause distress. You hear sad news, the diagnosis comes in, you have to confront someone, or you have a day where no matter what you do, nothing seems to "work out right". Your computer dies, the new computer you buy dies, you snag your new dress, something you love breaks, a person says an unkind word, you say an unkind word to someone else. All of which, I have learned, can happen in a single day. Yes, we have all had days and weeks where these types of nuisances go on and on. Important note: if you are grieving, lonely, angry, or tired, such aggravations will cause heightened ReActIviTY when they happen. Even as I am typing this blog, something keeps going wrong with the keys, and I have to start over. Hahaha! I'm glad I can still laugh, and persevere, and know that it is just LIFE! The thing is... if we are not careful... we can start to take life's occurrences personally, which only adds to our frustration. Here, let me share a graphic of that for you: Distressful Event + Taken Personally = FRUSTRATION Dear ones, the next time a rough event or exchange happens, think about taking the path of HIGHER LOVE in terms of your response to yourself and to others.
The truth is, after I looked back at a few recent rough days that were full of hassles, I was also able to take note of some great things that happened as a result of the annoyances! Count your blessings! My friends, there is hope... You CAN get out of the rabbit hole! Yay!! Yippee!! Now, you may need friends, family, helpers, and skills in order to get out, but you can get out. You can also just get your little rabbit ladder and simply climb out. Don't forget to carry your rabbit ladder with you! (Hmm...someone want to draw or paint that for me?! A rabbit with her little ladder?) I'm climbing out of my rabbit hole even as we speak! How about you? Love to you dear ones, and remember, it's not you....it's just life! Count your blessings! Have something you want to say or tips for climbing out of the rabbit hole? Please share in the comments section. We love to hear from yoU! (Written by Jane Hart, copyright 2014) Is your drain clogged? Not your literal drain, but the portal-in-your-soul-that-reaches-from-your-crown-to-your-root-chakra-divine-flow drain.
That drain. What are you keeping to yourself that should be shared with others so that they can grow and benefit from your divine knowledge and ever-evolving skills? Are you shrinking back? Have you put your dreams on hold and therefore, deny the rest of us your unique beauty and wisdom? Don't be selfish my lovely ones. Put it out there. Speak up, show up, and don't hide. Plug into the Source that can save your life and your soul and maybe even save another life or soul. Our fears keep us from our highest expression. Expansiveness takes us into our creative freedom. This week, find some soul-expanding experiences to take you to a new plane and transport you out of your intellectual-thinking-agenda-creating mind and into your integrated mind-body-soul. Yoga, dancing, absorbing sunshine, riding a wave runner, painting, drawing, being in nature, and swimming do it for me. What about you? You know exactly what you need to do and how to do it. Take the next steps to follow your God-given talents and creative expression. What mind-body or consciousness-expanding activities help you be your most authentic you? What steps are you ready to take to activate your dreams? Please share in the comments! We want to hear from yoU! (written by Jane Hart, copyright 2014) Earth Wind and Fire (EWF) held church tonight at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and one thing is certain -- the Elements can preach. EWF transcends normal states of consciousness, and they are gladly willing to help you do the same. Their performance and music are an intragalactic transport service to a place beyond -- a place of love an all things are possible place a live, dwell, and act from your highest energy and God-centered place. EWF always manages to take me to that realm of knowing and releasing all at the same time -- a transcendent time zone. My take home message from the God-inspired, Spirit-infused Wednesday night EWF service? Three points: Dance people...dance. Don't waste any more time. Do what you love, and vibrate at your highest energetic frequency -- untold throngs will benefit. AND Remember that DEVOTION is a path to God. Don't ever give up... Thank you God for EWF's concerts, music and love, which continue to show me that all is well, and all manner of things shall be well. Now how you gonna emanate love today people? Check out the Blessings page for a meditative video of EWF performing Devotion!! (written by Jane Hart, copyright 2014) Have you ever been stuck in a long line that you didn't anticipate and felt the angst welling up inside of you? I used to feel so impatient if I had to wait in a line for too long or if I felt that something wasn't going "the way it should". Now, through the grace of God, I have grown to see that there are beautiful lessons in the circumstances of our daily world -- even in the things we can't control. So often, we resist what is happening in our day-to-day lives rather than seeing the miracle in what is happening. Here is one example of how I learned to flow and enjoy life more: At a workshop in Todos Santos, Mexico, our fearless leader, Paul Heussenstamm, led a mandala painting retreat for 12 women. Let me say that again, 12 strong women...and Paul. During the retreat, Paul was so patient with us, and we have all learned so much by following him around the world for his painting adventures. But poor Paul. One day, he decided to take all of us shopping and -- here's the difficulty -- drop us off. As we were getting out of the van Paul said, "Please, all of you, meet me back here at 2 o'clock sharp." A few of us said, "Ok!" The "12" wandered into the amazing streets of Todos Santos buying jewelry, textiles, and art galore. Eventually, it was about 10 minutes before 2:00, and I noticed that none of the other women seemed concerned about meeting Paul back at the van. Being time-conscious, I said to those around me, "Shouldn't we be getting back?" No one answered. The minutes passed. No one was heading toward the door. At 1 minute to 2:00, however, I said, just a little bit louder this time, "Shouldn't we be getting back to the van?" No one looked up. Finally, I confided in one of the women who had become my friend, and I said, "I'm afraid Paul will be upset if we don't get back on time." Here is the punch line my friends... My friend looked at me, stared in my eyes, and said, "How do you know that isn't exactly what Paul needs?" Whahahahahaha.....hohohohoho....heeheehee That moment changed my life. You see, my friend was trusting in what was happening, and I was spending my energy being worried about something I couldn't control. Now, whenever I think something isn't going the way it should be, and I start to feel some angst, I simply say to myself, "How do you know this isn't exactly what is needed?" We fight against the way things are when what we actually need is to embrace the events, feelings, disappointments, and differences that are occurring during our day. We resist the very things that lead to soul growth. Now, when my life is seemingly going against the grain, I can smile, pause, look around me and think, "Hmm, what is happening here? What opportunity is being presented, and how can I grow?" It's a wonderful transformation to be able to live this way more of the time. Are you struggling against the way life is going right now? Are you able to embrace the unplanned and unexpected occurrences in daily life? Is your patience being tested? What if whatever is happening is exactly what you need in order to soul blossom? Stay calm mis compadres, there are blessings in the angst! (Written by Jane Hart, Copyright 2014 ) Check out Paul's work at www.mandalas.com You never know when your life may change. A Mexican peasant, Juan Diego, was minding his own business in the countryside when a beautiful vision known as Our Lady of Guadalupe showed up. There Juan was, wandering through the hills of Mexico and the Most High Lady shows up, wants to talk with him, and asks him for a favor. Now that is a big day. Our Lady asked Juan to go to the Bishop of Mexico and tell him that she would like him to build a church for her. Just imagine what followed next. Our poor peasant, Juan, had to actually go to the Bishop and try and explain what had just happened to him. “Uh, I saw the Holy Mother, and she told me to stop by and ask you to build a church for her.” Yeah, right buddy. Have you taken your medication? This is essentially what the Bishop first said to Juan. But then, Guadalupe shows up again and again in Juan Diego's life. She persists in her request, and Juan shows up again and again in the Bishop's life. With Our Lady's persistence, Juan Diego’s obedience, and the Bishop's eventual belief, the favor is fulfilled. Not only does the church get built, but tens of millions of people are converted to believers because the peasant and the Bishop showed up and did Our Lady a favor. Centuries later, I am writing about her on this blog. Believable? Unbelievable? Life is mysterious. Life is strange. Life is good. What mysteries keep showing up in your life begging you to engage? It just may change your life and change the world! As I was waking up in the dream/wake state one morning, I had the thought “God needs seeds and nuts”. Although at first that sounded funny to me, the more I thought about it the more it began to make sense!
To me, the message was that God needs substrate for our lives in order to bless us. God can’t make something from nothing, we have to do our part. We need to plant seeds for growth and bury nuts for winter harvest – it’s the great exchange that must occur in order for our lives to move forward in abundance. This week I am going to plant seeds by making creative connections with others. I am also thinking about offering a winter art class to yield a harvest of blessings and fun. What seeds are you planting in your life? What nuts are you burying for winter to feed you in the months to come? Please let us know in the comments section just below this post! When tragedies occur I often turn to the great peacekeepers of this world to read their commentary on such happenings. After the most recent events in Boston I did the same, but I could not find anything posted right away.
So instead, I turned within and thought about what the peacemakers might say based on readings I have seen in the past. Thich Nhat Hanh, for instance, might say something like: Peace starts within. We must cultivate peace. We must be peace. We must share peace. We must stand up for others who are treated unjustly. Peace starts within. Peace starts within…it seems so simple. And yet, there are a million ways in which we may not actively “be peace” throughout our day and in our interactions with others. Today, let’s be peace. Let’s cultivate it and share it. Maybe that means slowing down long enough to listen to a friend or coworker who needs a moment of kindness. Maybe it means teaching your children or grandchildren what the word peace means. Maybe it means creating some artwork on the theme of peace. Maybe it means starting a 501c3 that cultivates peace in the world. Maybe it means sitting peacefully for 5 minutes. Whatever we choose to do, each measure of peace is essential to our world. Today, I will walk more slowly and more meditatively…not rushing. What will you do? |
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