Beautiful - But Use Caution

 

I was going through pictures my granddaughter had uploaded from our recent vacation to Oregon.  This particular picture was taken at the Aquarium just south of Newport, Oregon.  For some reason this really caught my eye as something very peaceful and calming.  It certainly was something I spent several minutes watching while I was there, and I was glad she had taken the time to capture it on film. 

This evening as I reflected on these seemingly fragile creatures, I was awed again by their elegant beauty as they float along with such ease, inviting anyone or anything to draw nearer to investigate them further or be apart of their casual way of being free and just moving along slowly, unhurried, unstressed, free of cares.  Yet as inviting as they appear, it is good to remember that the beautiful, fine tendrils can be very deadly if one draws too near or ventures to touch them.

I couldn't help but think about how often life is much like these jelly fish.  We watch from afar, envying the ease with which we perceive others receive blessing, riches or what we might consider the good things of life.  From a distance we watch, wishing we could live the life they do, wanting to join them or be a part of their group, or enjoy the personal or financial freedom we think they have.   But get closer and sometimes we can get stung or hurt.  We may find they are less than honest and what you think they earned they took by taking advantage of others.   It may appear as though they are coasting through life happy and carefree but when we get closer we find they are lonely or fearful.  Just as the jelly fish immobilize their victims, these people's  depression zaps our personal reserves of energy, enjoyment or gifts until we feel completely drained and empty, unable to cope as we have done in the past.  Then like the jellyfish, once we are immobilized and they have taken from us all they can, they float on as though we were never there, leaving us to hopefully find a way to heal as they sting someone else who dares to come near.  Yet as we heal, we learn the greatest lessons.  Life is not always as it seems.  Sometimes what appears good is not. What appears enticing can be dangerous or deadly.    Be cautious of getting too near or rushing ahead too fast before we know what may happen.  Finally, sometimes what seems tragic brings insight and growth. 
May we all enjoy the beautiful things that surround us and that we come near.  May we learn to use caution and wisdom in our relationships.  May we enjoy many of the things we see without the need to be closer or be a part of.  My we be happy to sometimes just sit back and watch the beauty of life as it happens and feel joy when it appears to be good for others.  




 

Moment by Moment

This morning I want to thank my higher source for my ability at times to simply move from moment to moment without thought. I have learned in my home to take life moment by moment for I never know what the next moment will bring. I have to trust myself that all the parenting, spiritual and natural abilities will come into play without having to stop and ask myself what tools or lessons I am going to use, for seldom is there time to ponder on what to do.
It is probably a cliche' but a true one that sometimes one day is longer than another. I know in reality each day has the same number of minutes, but one day seems to move so quickly, time flies and moments blend together in rhythm and balance. Then there are days that seem to last forever or seem will never end, filled with moments of crisis, decisions, teaching, patience, forgiveness, guidance and responsibility. Why do days seem so different? The difference is in how I move from moment to moment, how I use the moments as they come along and who those moments are spent with.
Moments and minutes are not always the same. Every day has exactly 1,440 minutes to use. However every day does not have the same number of moments for a moment is not measured by time. A moment doesn't just pass, it occurs. A moment requires you to be present in some way for it to be. A moment can last from a few seconds to minutes, for it is the experiences or happening that defines it, not the time it lasts.
I feel blessed that the other evening I was able to move from moment to moment for most of the night with patience and faith in myself that whatever I did or said would be right in that moment There were a few moments, like when I allowed frustration and anger to appear in myself that I questioned whether I would handle the next moment correctly, but I realize that the frustration was what allowed me the strength to be firm in the next moment of confrontration and the anger gave me the desire to stand up for others in the following moment. I had to move from moment to moment without planning for between Cathy, Alex and Antonio there was to no time to think between the demands and experiences of the moments. What someone chose in one moment affected others in the next or required my presence in some way. One moment I had to decide how to deal with a 15 year old boy throwing a destructive temper tantrum and then comfort the hurt adult who is only trying to love this boy in-spite of the abuse she receives because of her efforts. One moment I needed to be firm and set a limit with an oppositional teen and the next I had to be silent as he packed to run away from home because he didn't think he should be asked to do what he was. As he stormed out the door, the moment was filled with questions and worries from those who loved him and I had to call on faith and hope, then the next moment decide which of two options would be the best use of my time, but before I could finish the project chosen, the boy returned and I my moment was filled with tears, anger and his words of despair and failure. Then on to create a new moment of caring and tenderness, filled with understanding of his pain, while showing him he could look at the same instances that were causing him pain and find the love and support that has always surrounded him. His life may not be what he would like it to be, but it so much better than he could ever have dreamt it to be. The difference is in how he chooses to look at the momement or what he chooses to focus on from the moments of his life. Then I got to move from the moments of understanding and connection to a moment of power struggle and then on to a moment of truce and then to moments of sharing things totally unrelated to the events of the earlier evening. Later moments flowed from moments of explanation to moments of request and on to to final moments of a 10 year olds day as she shared how much she loved her brother, but sometimes she had different feeleings, and how bad she felt when she had those moments of thought.
Moments moving are all too often not appreciated or recognized. I sometimes get so busy looking for an answer to my prayers of knowing how to handle or change something that I don't see my prayer is already being answered in how I am blessed in simply following inspiration, staying or creating peace and harmony amidst chaos, confusion and anger. Like others I am looking for a miracle to occur when what I really need is already being given to me moment by moment without my being aware I am being given the miracles in experiencing peace, patience, understanding, gratitude, forgiveness, strength, tolerance, love and countless more gifts and abilities.
Again, I express gratitude today for the moments of my life. I may not appreciate them all as they happen, but I know I am given them as a gift. How I choose to look at the moments as good or bad is up to me, for they have happened and continue to be given freely to use. I acknowledge that I receive far more than I am ever aware of or could express.

The Grandma Calling

I saw the cutest picture today of a little baby on the internet . She was wearing a cute little shirt that read : "What Santa doesn't bring me Grandma will." I couldn't help but laugh, for I know how true those words are. Giving her everything of value is part of the Grandma Calling. As a grandmother myself I can speak from knowledge and experience.

Being a Grandmother is a calling. It is a calling that is earned through patience, years of preparation and experiences too numerous to count. Being a grandmother means you have the opportunity to teach and share gifts only you can give. These gifts are not always physical, but are always given with love and a desire to make sure her grandchild has everything he or she could ever dream of. The gifts may come silently and unexpected, or wrapped in pretty papers on special occations. The gifts will be given before anyone even asks for them, for inspiration is a key part of the blessing of receiving the calling of Grandmother.

Each grandmother has gifts only she can give in her own way. One grandmother may have a talent and love for music, and will give instruments, music, songs, recordings, and teach her grandchildren to enjoy all kinds of music and love harmony, not just in music but to look for the harmony and music in life and experiences. Another grandmother may have a gift of humor, She may teach her grandchildren to look for the laughter in life, the funny side of experiences or that life is a fun experience with a few side stops here and there to find sorrow, pain or results of choices for a short time. Another grandmother may have the gift of work and will teach how to serve with a gladness of heart and charity and concern for other. She may teach that work is really just a word that means doing your best at whatever you are doing using all your skills and abilities. Another may give the gift of words through books, stories, poems, educational experiences or letters. Another grandmother's calling may be teaching patience, forgiveness, humility and unconditional love. She may do this through example, support, tolerance and faith. Yet another grandmother may share her creative talents. She may teach not just the art of making something but the principle that everyone is a creator in some way, how pieces work together to make something that never existed before but gives pleasure once it is complete. She may teach a freedom of expression through the use of paper, brushes, colors, glitter and glue. Another grandmother may choose to fulfill her calling not by giving gifts directly to her grandchild, but supporting, enmpowering or encouraging the parents in ways that will affect their entire family. It might be the power of prayer, the sharing of a testimony, or experiences. It could be giving the parents knowledge of how to make it through each stage of their child's life with sanity, balance and peace. This grandmother may remind the parents to enjoy every momemt, for even though it may seem impossible to endure, she knows how soon the moments will flee and memories will be the thing they will treasure for many more years to come.

It does not matter the age, circumstances, location or reasons a woman receives the calling of Grandmother. Once accepted the calling is for her lifetime. Once received, the calling will bring a lifetime of new experience, new joys and happiness beyond belief and a new capacity to love and and endless supply of love returned. A grandmother will hold her title with pride. She will strive to honor all others called by the same name by being the best, most generous grandmother she can be, everyday in everyway.