Pause For Thought

[MajestyJo]

Dads feel there is no problem breaking a promise of a fishing trip to a son or daughter when there is something more important -- like free tickets to a professional basketball game or a little extra work at the office.

After all, there are more weekends for fishing and
those tickets are a one time thing. (They never consider the effect broken promises have on the heart of a child.)

Employers are always promising more pay and less work when the reality is just the opposite. Store advertisements promise to have a certain product at a really good price -- the product "didn't come in on the last shipment -- and no we don't give rain checks on sale items."

Have you paid close attention to commercials lately? What do they sell? Looked at a flower catalogue? Have you ever received a package from them that looks like the product on the cover? You more than likely received a packet of dried up seeds or ugly roots. All of these are selling a promise. "Buy this and you will get that." Often the promises are unfulfilled.

Abram (later called Abraham) was offered a promise, "Go to a country I will show you in the future and I will
bless you." Sounds a lot like a telemarketer I talked
to the other day. The only difference was that I was
talking to a human with a slick line and Abram was
talking with the Almighty God. Evidently Abram had
dealings with God before. He trusted Him. Was the promise fulfilled? Certainly.

Has God made promises to you? Has he fulfilled them?
(Careful before you say "no". His promises are recorded
in Scripture. Any other promises you may claim He made -- personal prophecy -- are subject to human emotion and error.) God promises salvation. He delivers. God promises eternal life. He delivers. God promises answers to prayer. He delivers -- but not always the way we want Him to answer. Our God is faithful and true. Hallelujah, Amen.

From my friend Bette - Posted on Caressa's Spiritual Place

[MajestyJo]

The Love of a Dog



You are the human I love,

My love for you lives inside of me,

I feel no anger for you, no resentment,

no fatigue or weariness.

My love for you does not change, or wither.

I lean as close to your body as I can,

I drink in your smells, your feelings.

I think of you all the time,

when you are here, when you are not.

I go with you wherever you go,

in my heart, in your heart.

I will always lean my soul,

as close to you as I can get,

my love for you is without words,

for you, for me,

it us beyond your consciousness,

or understanding.

But my love for you is our language, our vows,

our bond, our reality, we don't need the words.

When humans fail you, or life empties your spirit,

My eyes see the wondrous truth,

of who you really are.

By author Jon Katz who has the wonderful red border collie that tens of thousands (at least) adore due to his blog.

Received with thanks from my friend Carey in Texas

[MajestyJo]

My parents told me about Mr. Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by until today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance. For Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Obituary

Common Sense


Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his
birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing
when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound fina ncial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in
charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens su spended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student; but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap , and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Author unknown

Originally posted on my site Nature's Inspiration

Don't always have common sense when it comes to food. God and I are still working on this. It has been up and down, off and on, for too many years for my liking. One thing I did learn, stuffing was not good, moderation and quality and quantity, help to keep me eating healthy. Over indulgency, keeps me acting out in my disease.

[MajestyJo]

Quote: "Sometimes I think I'm going to die from the sadness. Not that anyone ever died from crying for two hours, but it sure feels like it."

As a survivor of child (sexual) abuse you have a lot to grieve for. You will grieve for the way you were hurt. You will grieve for not being protected, for the things you missed out on as a child. You will grieve for the time and money it takes to heal, for the relationships and happiness you have lost.

If you covered up your pain by pretending you had a happy childhood, you will have to grieve for the ideal family you didn't really have. You'll have to give up the idea that the abuser had your best interests at heart.

You may have to grieve for the fact that you don't have suitable grandparents for your children, or a family you can depend on.

You must also grieve for the shattered image of a world that is fair and safe for children. You will grieve for your lost innocence and ability to trust.

Quote: As a survivor of child 'sexual' abuse you have a lot to grieve for.

Buried grief

Buried grief poisons you. It limits your ability to feel joy or to be fully alive. An important part of healing is to express the grief you've carried inside.

When you were young, you had to hide your feelings. Now, to move on in your life, you need to go back and relive the experiences you had as a child. You have to feel the grief and anguish, but this time with the support of caring people. You might wonder how going back into the pain can help release you from it. But this is how healing from trauma works.

The way to move beyond grief is to experience your pain fully and honor your feelings. When you face your feelings, and they are met with caring and compassion, they change.

- A first book for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis


A lot of my pain was done by a psychic healer and by using Dyanetics written by L. Ron Hubbard.,which is a tool of The Church of Scientology. I don't believe in the church but I believe in the tool that is offered. It goes beyond Steps Ten, Eleven and Twelve and helps you to heal at a deeper level.

Some of the pain I revisited, but a lot of it was just a mass of pent up energy, that I needed to release and let go of in a healthy way. I didn't have to "live" in it, I could revisit but come back to the present and not stay there which is so important when healing this type of pain. That was then, this is now; but what happened back then, can affect me in today until I heal and let it go.

About Grief

You may feel foolish crying over events that happened so long ago. But grief stays stored up until you have a chance to express it.

Quote: The way to move beyond grief is to experience your pain fully and honor your feelings.

Grief has its own timing. You can't say, "This is it. I'm going to grieve now." You have to make room for grief as it arises. You need to give yourself the time and space to let go.


Quote: "I had been in therapy for several months and I began to feel safe. There were weeks when I entered the building, went up the stairs, and checked in, all with a smile on my face. Then I'd enter the office, and my therapist would close the door. Before she could even get to her chair, I'd be crying. Deep within me I help those feelings, waiting until I new there would be time and compassion."

However your grieve, allow yourself to release the feelings you've been holding inside. Grieving can be a grief relief.


Many times over the years, especially the last eleven years of recovery; I have sat in meditation after asking for what I needed to heal, and the ability to let go of what I didn't need, want or desire. I have sat there with tears just streaming down my face. Most times, not knowing the source, but other times, as a result of something that had triggered me in today.

Tears are a great healer. They cleanse the soul.

Written in 2010

[MajestyJo]

Something I posted on another site 2010:

I was just thinking of the hypocrisy I found in a lot of people in the church to my way of thinking, of course, not giving any thought to my own rebellion of all the 'thou shall nots' that I didn't want to adhere to.

If I could find fault with someone else, then I didn't have to look at me.

I love the spiritual part of the program. It doesn't matter what your religious belief may be, you can meet on common ground.

I highly dislike game playing, dishonesty, and self-righteous sinners. I don't even like the word sin. For me, sin means "Soul In Need" and it doesn't mean I was a bad person, it meant that I was a sick person trying to get better.

For so many years, I look for some person, place or thing outside of myself to make me feel better. Just in the saying, shows the insanity of the disease.

I am reminded of that verse, "He that is without sin, cast the first stone." Don't remember where it is found, I just know it is there.

I am so glad that my God is forgiving and His Love is unconditional.

The biggest problem was me, trying to figure it out and/or thinking I knew it all, after all I had been going to church all my life, who are you to tell me, that I don't know God.

[MajestyJo]

THE BRAND NEW YOU
By Max Lucado



Have you ever noticed the way
a groom looks at his bride
during the wedding? I have.
Perhaps it's my vantage point.
As the minister of the wedding,
I'm positioned next to the groom.
By the time we reach the altar,
I've been with him for some time backstage
as he tugged his collar and mopped his brow.
But all that changes when she appears.
And the look on his face is
my favorite scene in the wedding.

Most miss it.
Most miss it because they are looking at her.
But when other eyes are on the bride,
I sneak a peek at the groom.
If the light is just so and the angle just right,
I can see a tiny reflection in his eyes.
Her reflection.
And the sight of her reminds him why he is here.

And such are precisely the feelings of Jesus.
Look long enough into the eyes of our Savior
and, there, too, you will see a bride.
Dressed in fine linen.
Clothed in pure grace.
From the wreath in her hair
to the clouds at her feet,
she is royal;
she is the princess.
She is the bride.
His bride.
Walking toward him,
she is not yet with him.
But he sees her,
he awaits her,
he longs for her.

“Who could bear to live without her?”
you hear him whisper.

And who is that bride?
Who is this beauty who occupies
the heart of Jesus?

You are.
You have captured the heart of God.
“As a man rejoices over his new wife,
so your God will rejoice over you”
(Isa. 62:5).

The challenge is to remember that.
To meditate on it.
To focus on it.
To allow his love to change
the way you look at you.
__________________________________
From "When Christ Comes"

From my site Soundness of Mind

[MajestyJo]

~THE BANDIT OF JOY~
By Max Lucado



Black Bart terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line for thirteen years, roaring like a tornado in and out of the Sierra Nevadas, spooking the most rugged frontiersmen.

During his reign of terror between 1875 and 1883, he is credited with stealing the bags and the breath away from twenty-nine different stagecoach crews.

A hood hid his face.

No victim ever saw him.

No artist ever sketched his features.

No sheriff could ever track his trail.

He never fired a shot or took a hostage.

He didn't have to.

His presence was enough to paralyze.

He reminds me of another thief-one who's still around.

You know him.

Oh you've never seen his face, either.

You couldn't describe his voice or sketch his profile.

But when he's near, you know it in a heartbeat.

If you've ever been in the hospital, you've felt the leathery brush
of his hand against yours.

If you've ever sensed someone was following you, you've felt his cold breath down your neck.

If you've awakened late at night in a strange room, it was his husky whisper
that stole your slumber.

You know him.

It was this thief who left your palms sweaty as you went for the job
interview.

It was this con man who convinced you to swap your integrity for
popularity.

And it was this scoundrel who whispered in your ear as you left the cemetery, “You may be next.”

He's the Black Bart of the soul.

He doesn't want your money.

He doesn't want your diamonds.

He won't go after your car.

He wants something far more precious.

He wants your peace of mind-your joy.

His name?

Fear.

His task is to take your courage and leave you timid and trembling.
Fear of death, fear of failure, fear of God, fear of tomorrow-his arsenal is vast.

His goal?

To create cowardly, joyless souls.
_____________________________
From The Applause of Heaven

From my site Soundness of Mind

[MajestyJo]

Ten things God Won't Ask



1...God won't ask what kind of car you drove; He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

2...God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

3...God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

4...God won't ask what your highest salary was, He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

5...God won't ask what your job title was, He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

6...God won't ask how many friends you had, He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

7...God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

8...God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.

9...God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation, He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.

10...God won't ask how many people you forwarded this to, He'll ask if you were ashamed to pass it on to your friends.

Read 1st line Carefully

Happy moments, praise God.

Difficult moments, seek God.

Quiet moments, worship God.

Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God.

An oldie but a goodie.

[MajestyJo]

Bishop Spong, Q & A,

... from Elko, Nevada writes:

"What part did the oral tradition play in the development of the New Testament?" Dear Lee,

The oral tradition is the only way that the stories of Jesus could have lived between his death in 30 C.E. (approximately) and the writing of the Gospels between 70 C.E. and 100 C.E. This means that everything we know about Jesus lived for 40 to 70 years in oral transmission before it was written down. The real questions are where was this tradition preserved, by whom and in what context?

When I wrote "Liberating the Gospels: Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes," I defended the thesis that it was in the synagogue that the oral tradition was born and in the synagogue that it thrived. Most of the gospel stories existed first as sermons, preached about Jesus against the background of the synagogue readings of the Torah and the prophets In this process, Jesus in the oral tradition came to be understood as the fulfillment of both the expectations of the Torah and the hopes of the prophets.

I also argued in that book that stories of Jesus appropriate to the great feasts and fasts of the Jewish year were developed in the oral tradition that enabled the gospels to suggest that not only was the crucifixion of Jesus to be interpreted against the Passover, but also that every other major Jewish holy day was in time given Christian content by the oral tradition during the synagogue phase of Christian history.

In my life, this point of view has opened the gospels to a freshness that treating them as literal history could never create. Try it; I believe you will like it.

-- John Shelby Spong

November 2004

[MajestyJo]

Unlimited Choice

Any number of alcoholics are bedeviled by the dire conviction that if ever they go near A.A. they will be pressured to conform to some particular brand
of faith or theology. They just don't realize that faith is never an imperative for A.A. membership; that sobriety can be achieved with an easily minimum of it, and that our concepts of a Higher Power and God - as we understand Him - afford everyone a nearly unlimited choice of spiritual belief and action.

<<<>>>

In talking to a prospect, stress the spiritual feature freely. If the man be agnostic or atheist, make it emphatic that he does not have to agree with your conception of God. He can choose any conception he likes, provided it makes sense to him. The main thing is that he be willing to believe in a Power greater than himself and that he live by spiritual principles.

As Bill Sees It - July 20, 2004

So many times my God was watching over me and I didn't know it. I had a resentment against the God of my understanding and had to make Him more personal, not some distant being that seemed just out of reach.

[MajestyJo]

First, my car broke down
I was very late for work
But I missed that awful accident
Was that your handiwork?


I found a house I loved
But others got there first
I was angry, then relieved
When I heard the pipes had burst!


I know you're watching over me
And I'm feeling truly blessed
For no matter what I pray for
You always know what's best!

I have this circle of E-mail friends,
Who mean the world to me;
Some days I "send" and "send,"
At other times, I let them be.


I am so blessed to have these friends,
With whom I've grown so close;
So this little poem I dedicate to them,
Because to me they are the "Most"!

When I see each name download,
And view the message they've sent;
I know they've thought of me that day,
And "well wishes" were their intent.

So to you, my friends, I would like to say, !
Thank you for being a part;
Of all my daily contacts,
This comes right from my heart.

God bless you all is my prayer today,
I'm honoured to call you "friend";
I pray the Lord will keep you safe,
Until we write again.


Happiness comes through doors you didn't know you left open

[MajestyJo]

Guarded by an angel



A drunk man in an Oldsmobile

They said had run the light

That caused the six-car pileup

On 109 that night.


When broken bodies lay about

And blood was everywhere,

The sirens screamed out eulogies,

For death was in the air.


A mother, trapped inside her car,

Was heard above the noise;

Her plaintive plea near split the air:

Oh, God, please spare my boys!


She fought to loose her pinned hands;

She struggled to get free,

But mangled metal held her fast

In grim captivity.



Her frightened eyes then focused

On where the back seat once had been,

But all she saw was broken glass and

Two children's seats crushed in.

Her twins were nowhere to be seen;

She did not hear them cry,

And then she prayed they'd been thrown free,

Oh, God, don't let them die!


Then firemen came and cut her loose,

But when they searched the back,

They found therein no little boys,

But the seat belts were intact.


They thought the woman had gone mad

And was traveling alone,

But when they turned to question her,

They discovered she was gone.

Policemen saw her running wild

And screaming above the noise

In beseeching supplication,

Please help me find my boys!

They're four years old and wear blue shirts;

Their jeans are blue to match.



One cop spoke up, They're in my car,

And they don't have a scratch.

They said their daddy put them there

And gave them each a cone,

Then told them both to wait for Mom

To come and take them home.

I've searched the area high and low,

But I can't find their dad.

He must have fled the scene,

I guess, and that is very bad.


The mother hugged the twins and said,

While wiping at a tear,

He could not flee the scene, you see,

For he's been dead a year.



The cop just looked confused and asked,

Now, how can that be true?

The boys said, Mommy, Daddy came

And left a kiss for you.

He told us not to worry

And that you would be all right,

And then he put us in this car with

The pretty, flashing light.

We wanted him to stay with us,

Because we miss him so,

But Mommy, he just hugged us tight

And said he had to go.

He said someday we'd understand

And told us not to fuss,

And he said to tell you, Mommy,

He's watching over us.



The mother knew without a doubt

That what they spoke was true,

For she recalled their dad's last words,

I will watch over you.



The firemen's notes could not explain

The twisted, mangled car,

And how the three of them escaped

Without a single scar.

But on the cop's report was scribed,

In print so very fine,

An angel walked the beat tonight on Highway 109.

He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare.

This morning when the Lord opened a window to Heaven, He saw me, and he asked: 'My child, what is your greatest wish for today?'

I responded: 'Lord please, take care of the person who is reading this message, their family and their special friends.

They deserve it and I love them very much. '

[MajestyJo]

FREE TO BE YOU



Watch your attitudes, know that you are responsible for yourself and not others. Realize that all judgment of, criticism of, condemnation, and anger towards other people is to be released to their own good. Bless all people as they travel the highway of life and always remember that you are free to be you. And therefore, everybody else is free to be themselves.

Begin to enjoy everyone around you. Keep in mind that love, intelligence and courage is always present enabling us to always be who we are. We can rise up and accomplish all that we desire and maintain the joy, happiness and fulfillment we seek - all we need do is practice our spiritual exercises, study and act as we believe with deep faith. II TIMOTHY 1: 7 reads, "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the power and love and sound mind."

Antestian Newsletter - Road to Enlightenment

[MajestyJo]

Do you own your life?

"The meaning of life is to give life meaning."

-- Ken Hudgins

When we own our lives, we accept what we've inherited and the experiences we hold in our memories. We also claim our right to create new conditions if we're not happy with what's come before. We assume responsibility for changing what does not suit us. We acknowledge our own special talents and skills, and truly comprehend our right to enjoy the journey. In short, we embrace the meaning and purpose, the mystery and the beauty of our lives.

Do you feel that you own your life at the moment?

"I think of life itself now as a wonderful play that I've written for myself... and so my purpose is to have the utmost fun playing my part."

-- Shirley MacLaine

"Life is too short to be little."

-- Benjamin Disraeli

"Every man dies, but not every man lives...."

-- Garth Brooks

- Higher Awareness used with permission

For many years this was a big issue for me. Then I realized that I had to accept my limitations and my fibromyalgia and just try to be the best me I can be each day. To do what I can do and not wish the world away.

I was the only one who could make it happen. I wouldn't let my pain rule my day. I made some healthy choices and learned to live each day as it came, not look into the past or project into the future. Just live each day as it comes. Some days i can, some days I can't, and that is okay.

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=13769

[MajestyJo]

DAILY FORGIVENESS

"As long as you don't forgive, who and whatever it is will occupy rent-free space in your mind."
-- Isabelle Holland

We cannot avoid daily resentment and thoughts of guilt. They are a part of human nature. What we can do is release their grip on us. We can forgive others and ourselves daily.

Forgiveness requires nothing in return. There are no conditions. It gets rid of old baggage and clears up unfinished business. It leads us to a life of authenticity, lightness and directness. Forgiveness is the highest form of letting go of resentment and ego.

True forgiveness is more than an apology, understanding and acceptance. There is an element of recreating and re-imagining. There is a need to envision ourselves as more loving, interdependent, courageous and compassionate. Forgiveness requires honouring the sacred journey of learning about life - our life and others'.

"Whatever we have done, we can always make amends for it without ever looking back in guilt or sorrow."
-- Eknath Easwaran

*** Journey through the traps of ego into a life of meaning, purpose, joy and service. Make sense of your life, the world around you and your spiritual journey.

From Higher Awareness - used with permission