Savoring

YIKES!

So many of the folks I love have been on the receiving end of

THIS!!

They have often indulged me, occasionally celebrated photos they

"wanted a copy of", and most frequently just wondered

WHY?
(is she taking a picture of THAT!!)

I am indeed a photographile,

(is that even a word?)

and it's hard to put into words my affinity for the photo,

and the taking thereof.

I found the following words in a book I'm reading,

and I think this may be it:

Judith Moskowitz, an expert in the field of stress disorders, conducted a series of studies in which she created a toolbox of different strategies to promote positive emotions. Some of those strategies included things like intentionally helping a person notice or selectively attend to positive events, something that she called capitalizing or savoring. Often when something negative happens, we ruminate about it over and over again. Could we also cause a sort of rumination about positive events,

called savoring?

SAVORING

I do believe that is it!!

That is what I am doing when I grab my camera,

these days it's usually my phone,

and snap something that has grabbed my attention--my heart.

It's also what I do when I add entries to this blog.

It's like chewing your food and putting your fork down between bites.

It's noticing and affirming the noticed thing/one

with a "click" of appreciation

IN THE MOMENT!

Ah!

Remember

Found this today while I was cleaning out my photo files.

Good to remember those "Rob & Sarah" days.

(circa 2010)

Wheeeee!

I am cleaning out my email files and running across some

"Oldies but Goodies".

 

"Regret is REWIND -

the longing to change the past.

Fear is FAST FORWARD -

the desire to control the future.

Depression is PAUSE -

the stagnation of trying to keep life at bay.

Freedom is PLAY -

a thrilling free-fall into the juicy aliveness of Now."

- Jeff Foster

  

Thank you, Tenna...still so true today!

Living Life in the Divine Flow The Significance of Small Miracles June 17, 2012

Dear Friends, Several years ago, I was speaking to a group of people about my personal discovery of the divine flow.  I related numerous synchronistic events and happy coincidences that led me to conclude that this Universe we live in is, indeed, intelligent--that it is aware of what we need and what we want, and that it is continually working on our behalf to help us fulfill those dreams, desires, and goals. One gentleman in the group didn't doubt that I had experienced many coincidences in my life, but he did question whether the conclusion I reached as a result of those coincidences was a justified conclusion.  Specifically, he wanted to know if the coincidences I had experienced were "statistically significant." "Statistically significant."  I remembered that term from a business class I took in college.  What this man was talking about was the fact that--below a certain numerical threshold--sheer chance alone could account for my experiences.  And he was seeking some kind of statistical proof that I had experienced enough of these minor miracles to reasonably conclude that there was, as I determined, a divine intelligence behind them.  I'm not sure my answer satisfied him, but it was more than satisfactory to me. First of all, I told him that right after I published Row, Row, Row Your Boat, I began to keep an official journal of my divine flow experiences, so I would have some additional stories to put in my next book.  But I stopped keeping that journal after just three weeks.  Why?  Because I was getting writer's cramp!  There were just too many minor miracles to keep track of--far too many, it seems to me, to be explained by mere chance. I then pointed out that when I faithfully practice the principles involved with living life in the divine flow, the number of synchronistic events and happy coincidences that I experience dramatically increases.  But when I don't "practice what I preach," that number dramatically decreases.  If these events were just occurring by chance, then my behavior wouldn't affect things one way or the other. Which brings me to the point I want to make in this week's message. (That's right, I'm just now getting to it!) I think I have made it very clear in these weekly messages that it is extremely easy for you to unconsciously block or limit the experience of the divine flow in your life.  Obviously, when you live life forcefully or fearfully, you are going to experience the divine flow to a lesser degree, because you are actually interfering with the manifestation process itself.  But even if you are doing a pretty good job of recognizing and cooperating with the divine flow in your life, that experience can still be diminished if you don't make a conscious effort to appreciate each and every little miracle that manifests in your life--even something as seemingly insignificant as the appearance of the perfect parking place. Like everything else in life, even the divine flow can be taken for granted.  And the more you take it for granted, the more likely you are to easily forget many of the miracles that have happened in your life--especially the smaller ones.  Even recent occurrences can quickly be forgotten. If you really want to fully experience the divine flow in your life, I suggest that you always take a moment to stop what you are doing and be consciously grateful for every little miracle that occurs.  Celebrate it!  Revel in it!  Only then will you begin to get an accurate sense of how miraculous this world of ours truly is. Will the number of miracles that you notice be statistically significant--that is, enough for you to reasonably conclude that there must be a Higher Power at work on your behalf?  I certainly think so, yes.  But I'll leave that for you to decide.  What is much more important to me is this: The miracles that I now so freely and frequently experience are not just statistically significant, they are personally significant . . . for they have transformed my life from one of constant stress and struggle to one of greater peace and ease.  And that, my friends--all statistics aside--is significant enough for me.  To quote Albert Einstein: "There are only two ways to live your life: One is as though nothing is a miracle.   The other is as though everything is a miracle." I choose to life my life the second way.  How about you? Steve © 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor www.rowrowrow.com   Steven Lane Taylor, LLC       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Living Life in the Divine Flow The Flow of Grace  May 27, 2012

Dear Friends,  On Sunday, May 20th, I spoke to a gathering of people at a Methodist church in Mesquite, Texas.  After my presentation, the minister of that church said that she enjoyed my talk, and appreciated the concepts I shared.  One thing she noticed, though, was how different my "languaging" was.  What I call "the divine flow," she would call "grace." It's true that "grace" is not a word that I commonly use, but it is certainly what I am talking about whenever I say that the divine flow is continually guiding us toward the effortless fulfillment of our heart's desires.  In addition to "refined movement"--as my dictionary defines the grace--it also means "the free and unmerited favor and blessings of The Divine."  And that is exactly what the divine flow is continually offering us.  It is through the blessings of divinely inspired ideas, divinely orchestrated opportunities, and divinely directed encounters that we move toward our chosen destinations with incredible ease. What's more, this flow of divine favor--this grace that we receive--is unending.  It is not something that occurs randomly or occasionally.  It is constant.  And it is not something that is doled out to some people, but not to others.  It is freely offered to all.  At every given moment of every given day, we are all receiving celestial assistance and support.  At every given moment of every given day, each and every one of us is being divinely guided . . . including you.  But, as I frequently mention, you have a part to play in that process, because it is up to you to recognize and cooperate with that divine guidance.  It is your job to identify that still, small voice that speaks to you from within, and rely on it.  It is your job to identify the helpful people that have been placed in your path, and accept their assistance.  It is your job to identify the divine signs that are all around you, to discern their meaning, and to take any action that may be called for. Said another way, it is your job to make sure that you are always fully open and fully receptive to the unending flow of divine grace in your life, so you can glide gracefully down life's stream toward the realization of your dreams. Here's to living life in the divine flow, my friends. Go with grace! Steve P.S. I just received this nice review of my new book, Further Down The Stream: "I've subscribed to Steve's weekly messages for years.  It's the one piece of mail I make sure to read.  So you might think his latest book, based on these messages, would be overkill, but not so!  Steve has beautifully woven and occasionally updated his articles into a guide that is uplifting and practical.  I treat myself to one selection a day from the book, and it never fails to provide insight and encouragement."  ~ Joanne Deck, Phoenix © 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor www.rowrowrow.com   Steven Lane Taylor, LLC       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What

surprised

me,

 moved

me,

inspired

me

today?

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Traditions

One of our "traditions" is to eat at Cici's Pizza.

While we were there last Saturday, Sawyer used some of his quarters

to retrieve "prizes" from the "slot machines", as I call them.

For his $1.50, he got 2 pink "bouncers" and 2 tiny rings.

I know that sounds like poor spending choices,

but at least he did not spend a dime on the "claw" or the "pusher".

He has finally learned, through lots of lost quarters and many tears,

that those machines will steal your money,

as if you had just thrown those quarters into the trash.

Hope springs eternal!

And he truly believed for quite a while that his next quarter would

be the one that got him the Mini-Minion or the Batman watch

that enticed him from within their brightly-lit vaults.

So, for several visits, I let him experience the inevitable losses,

until he started to "get it".

Having something to show for his $1.50 was quite a reward

for making better choices, and he was truly pleased

with  his trivial trinkets.

In fact, he gave me one of the rings to wear.

On the way home, he asked where my wedding rings were,

and I told him I had taken them off some months after PapaRob died.

"Oh yeah...PapaRob is dead,

and you'll never wear wedding rings again."

Hmmm...

I could have let that comment go, but instead, I said,

"Well, I could get married again, if someone nice comes into my life."

"Ooooooh, that won't be easy, Emmy."

Then later,

"Then we could have another Papa."

The plot was thickening.

"Well, you can wear my ring and have my love, Emmy."

"Thank you, Sawyer."

Then yesterday while slurping Slush Monkeys and eating snacks at Stripes,

our Wednesday after-school tradition,

he noticed the ring still on my finger and sweetly asked,

"Emmy, if you're getting ready to die,

will you take that ring off and

give it to me first?"

"Yes, Sawyer...I will."

Just Mercy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post on Monday announced that he is banning solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons, citing concerns about its harmful psychological effects.

The move comes amid a national movement demanding criminal justice reform, which was sparked by numerous high-profile police killings in recent years.

In the opinion piece, Obama also said solitary confinement could no longer be used as a punishment for low-level infractions. He said the package of changes would include an expansion of treatment for mentally ill prisoners and an increase in the amount of time inmates in solitary can spend outside of their cells.

He said the changes would affect some 10,000 federal prisoners and stemmed from a review of the practice he directed the U.S. Justice Department to conduct last summer.

Obama cited the story of Kalief Browder, a black 16-year-old who was arrested in 2010 and spent almost two years in solitary confinement in New York City's Rikers Island jail before his release in 2013 and eventual suicide two years later.

Solitary confinement, Obama wrote, is "increasingly overused on people such as Kalief, with heartbreaking results — which is why my administration is taking steps to address this problem."

Flowers rest on top of pictures of Kalief Browder in New York June 11, 2015.

Obama said research suggests solitary confinement has been linked to depression, alienation, withdrawal, a reduced ability to interact with others and the potential for violent behavior.
He said states that have worked to cut back their use of the technique have seen drops in assaults on staff and more prisoners engage in rehabilitation programs.

Obama said he hoped the changes he has ordered in the treatment of federal prisoners would serve as a model for reforms by state and local corrections systems.

"There are as many as 100,000 people held in solitary confinement in U.S. prisons - including juveniles and people with mental illnesses," Obama said. "As many as 25,000 inmates are serving months, even years of their sentences alone in a tiny cell, with almost no human contact."

Just last month, New York state agreed to end its "overreliance" on solitary confinement as a means to discipline inmates in its prisons, as part of a settlement to a lawsuit brought against the state by the New York Civil Liberties Union.

California last September also agreed to sharply cut its use of solitary confinement as part of a sweeping settlement to a lawsuit brought by prisoners.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco and Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Where Was Christmas?

Well, thanks to my son, The Geek,

my computer is up and at 'em again...with photos! 

It's been good for me to practice abstinence from photo-blogging,

but I must go back and recount a few December photo-ops

before leaping back into January.

ENJOY!

(Oh, and Smilebox has been rediscovered!)

Ask us for the details...

Create a picture collage

Christmas at the Ranch

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Yes!

Living in the Miracle

Daily Lesson for January 25, 2016

Today's Daily Lesson comes from John chapter 4 verses 46 through 53:

46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.”

The moment of serenity is the moment of healing.

After all the begging and bargaining with God turns out not to have done a thing, when we realize we just can't talk Jesus into coming down to heal our son or our daughter or our father or mother, when we finally accept that the signs and wonders we've been praying for just aren't going to happen, then the miracle takes place:

In the acceptance of our circumstance,
In trust that we have been heard,
At peace that they and we are in the LORD's hands,
At rest in the promise that that shall live -- whatever it should mean.

This is what it means to believe.  This is what it means to have faith.  This is what it means to live in the miracle.

Ryon Price, 2nd Thoughts

Yes!

WHEN A LOVED ONE PASSES...

When a loved one passes, do not worry. Weep, wail, scream, yes, honour their memory, but do not worry. They haven't gone anywhere, strictly speaking. They have simply lost location and time. You can no longer pin them down, say 'there they are', find them in their materiality, seek them in your personal world. But you see, they were never tied to their bodies in the first place. Their arms, their legs, their brain, their fingers, their blood, their kidneys - these were not the things that defined them. You loved the physical, yes, you were attached to it, you expected it to continue, but it was not all of your love.

You are being called now to remember a deeper love, a universal love, a love that is not attached to form, a love that knows no bounds. A love that does not flee into past and future, but remains so very present as you go about your days. A love that does not depend on word nor place, that follows you wherever you go, that is inseparable from your very own presence, that whispers in your ear late at night... I AM HERE.

Do not search for your loved one in time nor space, friend, do not reach for them and find them absent. They are closer than all that. It will take a while to readjust to their formlessness, of course. You will be called to let go of dreams, yes, and there will be much pain to be felt, much grief to explore with courage and willingness. Get ready to break open for love! But, oh, the joy of discovering your loved one right where you left them! And the excitement of a relationship shattering open into the Infinite!

Know they cannot leave you! Know they never will!

For they are in your presence, and you in theirs!

- Jeff Foster

What is CASA?

Volunteer Your Time to Change a Child's Life

Nobody longs for a safe and loving family more than a child in foster care. As a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) volunteer, you are empowered by the courts to help make this dream a reality. You will not only bring positive change to the lives of these vulnerable children, but also their children and generations to come. And in doing so, you will enrich your life as well.

What Do CASA Volunteers Do?

CASA volunteers listen first. Then they act.

Volunteers get to know the child by talking with everyone in that child's life: parents and relatives, foster parents, teachers, medical professionals, attorneys, social workers and others. They use the information they gather to inform judges and others of what the child needs and what will be the best permanent home for them.

Who Can Be a Volunteer?

You do not have to be a lawyer or a social worker to be a volunteer. We welcome people from all walks of life. We are simply looking for people who care about children and have common sense. As a volunteer, you will be thoroughly trained and well supported by professional staff to help you through each case.
You must pass a background check, participate in a 30-hour pre-service training course and agree to stay with a case until it is closed (a year and a half on average).

Slavery to Mass Incarceration

2nd Thoughts by Ryon

In his book "Choosing to Live" my friend Jerry Campbell reflects on his journey through the process of grief following his wife Veta's passing away. In the process of his grief, Jerry remembered a dream he had two decades before:

"I dreamed that I was sleeping when a messenger from God appeared before me.  The messenger wore a long, brown robe with a large cowl.  I could not see the messenger's face. Suddenly I became aware of the messenger addressing me with a question . . . 'What is the most brilliant and important characteristic given to humans?' Without pause the answer jarred me wide awake! 'Death.'"


Death is a great motivator. To know that we are dust and that to dust we shall return brings to us consciousness. We are vulnerable. It is a dangerous world. There are snakes out there. And we are running out of time.

To know that we will die is the first lesson in knowing what it is to live. And to those who use that knowledge -- to love and serve and spend time and build up treasure where treasure has ultimate meaning -- it is a great blessing. The blessing of knowing that tomorrow is not guaranteed awakens is to the blessing of today.

After Jerry was awakened by his dream he says he made his way to the bathroom, reflecting on the meaning of the night visitation he wrote in his journal. "Humans are born to die; death is the boundary that gives meaning and urgency to life . . . I know it was a dream, but I can't shake the feeling that God has sent me a message."

Ryon Price, Pastor, 2nd Baptist, Lubbock

Within the Circles of Our Lives

 Within the circles of our lives we dance the circles of the years, 

the circles of the seasons within the circles of the years,

the cycles of the moon within the circles of the seasons,

the circles of our reasons within the cycles of the moon.//

Again, again we come and go, changed, changing.

Hands join, unjoin in love and fear, grief and joy. 

The circles turn, each giving into each, into all.//

Only music keeps us here, each by all the others held.

In the hold of hands and eyes, we turn in pairs,

that joining, joining each to all again.

And then we turn aside, alone, out of the sunlight,

gone into the darker circles of return.

by Wendell Berry 

Words from Jeff

THE GIFT OF YOUR SENSITIVITY

You are awake.
 You are sensitive.
 You feel everything.

Sometimes you wish you didn't feel everything.
 But you do.

The depths of loneliness.
 The heights of joy.
 Sometimes it feels like it's too much.
 Sometimes you dream of numbing yourself.

It's a lot, living this close to life, this close to death, this close to yourself.

But then, you realise, numbing the pain would also numb the joy.

And you refuse to be numb like the others.

So you walk, your heart exposed all day, every day, every damn day.
 Great sorrows ploughing through.
 Bliss cascading like a waterfall.
 Unable to switch it off.
 Unable to run.
 (Where would you run to?
 There is only you.)

You, and your raw, broken open heart.
 You, and the thrill and dread of being alive for another day.
 Another whole day!
 Sensitive to the tiniest little flicker or flutter of experience.
 To the breeze on your face.
 The cracked glass in the old window.
 The spider web in the half light.
 The contraction and expansion of each sacred breath.

A morning shifting into afternoon.
 A secret or promise kept or not.
 A plan crumbling into shiny Unknowing.

You will take this intensity, yes.
 You will commit to this living, yes.
 You will walk this path, of course.
 Even though you will doubt it, often.
 There is no other path for you.

You feel everything.
 You are sensitive.
 You are awake.

And our noisy world needs you,
 now more then ever.

Aaaaah...

IN HIS SANITY

St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

If all the tenderness in this world could reflect

from my eyes, would you accept

that love?

If all

the forgiveness

the heavens have known could be offered

from one

face,

would you accept that

divine pardon?

In His sublime sanity--

every moment God offers

that to us:

anything that might

comfort.

If you want a life you love, 

love the life you have.

 
 Receive the moment as a gift.  

 Bow to what is given, 

embrace what is coming.

 

And you will be wealthier 

than all the creatures
 on this sacred Earth.

 

- Jeff Foster

Those Kids!

Feel your feelings, yes, but don't indulge them. They are wild children, longing for an empathic parent. Don't push them away, but don't cling to them either. Nor do you need to act on them. Like rain, they will fall and stop falling. Like thunder, they will explode, falling again into silence. Like waves in the ocean, they will surge then rest.

Give feelings space. Breathe into them. Let them tingle and burn. They will pass soon enough.  Trust this. And trust that sometimes you cannot trust! Simply feel your feet on the ground. Feel your belly rise and fall. Know your home is here, in presence. And know that something within you is fearless.

Let the children play, yes, but don't let them control you. Let them dance, but don't get lost. Let them be, but know who you are.

Feelings can be strong, yes. But your greatest power lies in your courage. And you ARE courageous, no matter what they say, for you are constructed out of stardust... :)

Father, forgive them...

From Mary Oliver's poem,

 "A Summer Day":

 

 "Doesn't every thing die at last,

and too soon?  

Tell me,

what is it you plan to do

with your

 one

wild and precious

 life."

January 2, 2016

WHEW!

I have spent the better part of this morning retrieving

my BlogSpot account information

AND

doing it on this itty-bitty-laptop!

It seems my old computer is infected with a nasty virus

(as have been so many friends and family...

must be catching!)

I am waiting for my spanking new, 21st century computer

to be selected by the

GEEK

and eventually installed, with all of my old "stuff" back on and where

I can resume life as I knew it.

Who would have thought I would ever be this dependent on a

MACHINE!

I hate to admit it, but I am.

I guess I can look at it another way

 and be shocked and amazed that I am that

COMPUTER-SAVVY.

Anyway, it is a new year--

WHEW!

&

HOORAY!

 

And the Travelogue continues...

M.E.

 

Pictures to follow; they're on my old computer!

I guess I am learning abstinence.

: )