A Glimpse Of Heaven

“Beyond the body, beyond the sun and stars, past everything you see and yet somehow familiar, is an arc of golden light that stretches as you look into a great and shining circle. And all the circle fills with light before your eyes. The edges of the circle disappear, and what is in it is no longer contained at all. The light expands and covers everything, extending to infinity forever shining and with no break or limit anywhere. Within it everything is joined in perfect continuity. Nor is it possible to imagine that anything could be out side, for there is nowhere that this light is not!”                                             From a Course In Miracles


Does this not sound like Heaven? Could you reach up and touch the face of God?

To start this New Year with a glimpse of Heaven is to know Joy! And to know joy is to know love, light, peace, happiness and gratitude.




 

The mind that serves the Holy Spirit is unlimited forever, in all ways, beyond the laws of time and space, unbound by any preconceptions and strength and power to do whatever it is asked, attack thoughts cannot enter such a mind, because it has been given to the source of love, and fear can never enter in a mind that has attached itself to love.  It rests in God!  And who can be afraid who lives in innocence and Only Loves.

Happy New Year
Blessings, Peace and Joy to All

Christmas

“Oh, would that Christmas lasted the whole year through as it ought

Would that the spirit of Christmas could live within our hearts every day of the year”

                                                                                              Charles Dickens

Memories--Many memories. Memories of Christmas fills us with happiness and joy. The unique family gatherings, delicious food, beautiful Christmas trees, laughter and joy, extraordinary gifts of love, and faith in miracles. The miracle of the birth of God’s Holy Son.

The sign of Christmas is a star, a light in the darkness. See it shinning within and accept it as a sign that Christ has come to bring peace and love to all. Let us join in celebrating peace, love and miracles, on this wonderful day of birth of a very glorious child.

“Behold the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

And they shall call his name Jesus”

May we each find a moment of quiet reflection to contemplate the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all,

And God Bless us, every one

Peace and Joy to All

A Perfect Place

Glory To God in the Highest,

And on earth, peace, goodwill toward men

                                                                   Luke 2:14

We all seek a place of perfect peace. Eternal safety, everlasting love, freedom forever from all thoughts of loss, complete deliverance from suffering and where only happiness abounds. And Joy is the feeling of each moment. Sounds like Heaven.

Yet we all have been given this perfect place, already. It is ours with acceptance of God’s truth and belief in God’s Holy Son.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding

will guard your hearts and minds

through Christ Jesus

                                            Phil 4:7

This place abides in the soul of each of us, we just have to access it with belief and surrender to a perfect peace. Nothing can prevail against a child of God who commends his spirit into the hands of God his Father.

You will keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on You
                                               because he trusts in You                                    Is 26:3

Withdraw your faith away from this sad world and place it in God’s truth and light and you will have heaven on earth. And the world will look refreshed, different, cleansed. You will see through new eyes. You will feel no need to judge or condemn, but find a release from all trials. A gladness!

Choose light and truth. Abide in “the perfect place” not darkness. Live and speak from the heart of your spirit and listen only to God and find the deep peace of body, mind and spirit.

“In me you may have peace. In the world you shall have tribulations;

But be of good cheer,

I have overcome the world”

                                                                         John 16:33

Today the peace f God envelops me, and I forget all things except His Love.  And remembering nothing but the peace of God as evening falls I will have gratitude and give thanks.

Peace and Joy to All

Gifts

In this season of giving it’s fun to shop for those special gifts for our loved ones or if we are creative to make special gifts. These special gifts are given as gifts of love from our hearts to theirs. We give the wanting to show our love and caring. Wanting the recipient to feel how much we care for them.



It’s such a happy time of caring and sharing and festive lights,, the decorated tree and smells of just baked cookies wafting through the air, the happy faces of the children.

But gifting is not just for this season. Each day a thousand treasures come to us and we are blessed with these gifts throughout the year. Their value is far beyond any material gifts we share with others. These are the gifts given from God---Our life, The earth, the beautiful gifts of nature, our freedom to make choices everyday to give the gifts of love. We receive a smile and it gladdens our heart. Someone speaks a kind word and lifts our mood. A hand is lifted to help and we feel safer. Someone says “God Bless You” and we remember to give thanks. Your spouse makes you a cup of tea and you know you are loved. A clerk in a store is especially nice and helpful and you know there is hope for this world. You see a scene of the nativity and feel the exultation of God’s gift of His Son. You rush home after a busy shopping day and find comfort and rest in your cozy home and you know this is a gift of contentment. So many gifts, our lives are blessed with so many gifts. Lets remember this season and share our abundance of gifts, blessings, love and caring on everyone, as brothers and sisters of this world.

And may we always be able to say “My treasure house is full and all returns to others but still nothing is lost and only more gifts are added. I am truly blessed and cherish all these gifts that God has given me. Now I may offer my gratitude and thankfulness to God and all.”

Gifts of Love

Gifts of sharing

Gifts of caring

Gifts of hope

Gifts of faith

Gifts of blessings and peace

Gifts to give and gifts to keep

                                   Life is a treasure house of gifts                   Lovelight

Not what we give,

but what we share,

For the gift without

the giver is bare.

–James Russell Lowell

A Gift for you of Pumpkin Cheesecake, I wish I could just send it already made to everyone.

Here’s what you need:


3 eight-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups pureed pumpkin
3 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (or to taste)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pie pan

Crust
2 cups of powdered nuts (we often use almonds)
1/2 stick of butter melted
2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Begin by cooking your pumpkin. You can use any type of winter squash for the recipe. Besides pumpkin I also like acorn squash.
Of course you can use canned pumpkin for this recipe, but there are growing concerns about the chemicals found in canned food, so look for organic canned pumpkin.

To cook your pumpkin, first cut it into several pieces and remove all the loose pulp and seeds. (Save the seeds for roasting!)
Put the pumpkin slices in a large baking dish and cook at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour until a fork easily slides into the pumpkin.

While the pumpkin is cooking you can prepare the optional crust.

Combine the powdered nuts with the melted butter and maple syrup. Mix well and then press the nut mixture into the bottom of a pie pan. Set aside.

After the pumpkin is thoroughly cooked, let it cool until you can easily handle it. Separate the pumpkin meat from the outer peel.
Measure out 2 cups of pumpkin and add it to the rest of the ingredients.
Using a food processor, hand mixer or your own biceps, mix all the ingredients together thoroughly
Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie pan.
Bake at 350 for an hour. It is done when the top is browned and a fork goes into the middle and comes out clean
Let it cool on the counter for thirty minutes and then chill it in the fridge for four hours before eating

Peace and Joy to All

 

Disappointment

Drowning in disappointment. We’ve all been there--when something we expected to happen doesn’t, or someone doe’s something totally different then we expected or none of our dreams work out or family members change and become argumentative. Our hopes, dreams, plans, ideas all go up in dust. The unfair, unexpected, unresolved, unexplainable, undeniable, unacceptable disappointments of life. Drowning in disappointment.

We try to make sense of it all. Try to understand, try to put it into some category or slot that will make it easier to bear. We over think and over analyze trying to resolve and grasp something to help with the disappointment. But maybe we aren’t meant to understand. Maybe we just need to let it go and move on. Hold on until another dawn and with the birth of a new day, everything always looks better.

Sometimes when we are disappointed we need to remember that disappointments serve to strengthen, if we look at them with a positive mental attitude. Sometimes if we just wait a bit we will see the reason for change in our plans and it might possibly be better for us in the overall picture of our lives.

Being disappointed in another person is sometimes even harder to deal with. Someone we love doesn’t follow through with their obligations or causes dissension and arguments, becomes abusive to them selves or others-----

So many reasons to become disappointed in and concerned for another.

When we have these feelings of disappointment we need to realize everyone is on his or her own path and each is in a different place on the path. Allow them to find their own way. All we can really do is pray for them and ask God and the Holy Spirit to give them guidance and then give of your love, unconditionally. Also ask for inner calmness for yourself. For guidance of how to remain loving and peaceful and centered in your soul. Then you will be better able to know how to help when these frustrating disappointing situations arise.

Live without expecting results from yourself or others. If you don’t expect results you can’t be disappointed. Expecting results puts a burden on yourself and others. Live your life so results won’t matter because you have walked in God’s guidance and done all with love and peace. Just let all things come and go and walk with God.

I am not discouraged because every wrong attempt discarded

is a step forward.

                                                                                                                     Thomas Edison

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

                                                                                                             Martin Luther King, Jr.

Peace and Joy to All

Harmony

“Out of chaos the future emerges in harmony and beauty.”

                                                                                                               Emma Goldman

God created the earth perfect. He created just enough mountains, oceans, forests, creatures, rivers, valleys and all the land to make it perfect. He made it work in perfect harmony. The rise and fall of the tides, day and night, the seasons. And it is good!

Could we live in perfect harmony? What a wonderful world it would be, if we could. If we lived as the earth does, the dawn rising in perfect joy, smiling as the sun, finding our food with happiness and song as the birds do, everyone cooperating as nature does, completing our tasks then resting in quietness as the sun sets, flowing along with acceptance as the seasons do, trusting for abundance as earths creatures do.

  

Harmony, balance, humility, trust, faith, satisfaction, support, perfection, beauty, serenity and Peace. All work together in a perfect world.

If we could live with love, caring, kindness, giving, patience, understanding, compassion for others, if we could have forgiveness, trust, respect, acceptance, tolerance of others, if we could never judge, blame, hate, resent, fear or have anger of others we would live in harmony.

Lets try in this season of thanksgiving to be thankful for God’s perfect earth and commit to live in harmony with all.

“Affirm divine calmness and peace, and send out only thoughts of love and goodwill if you want to live in peace and harmony. Never get angry, for anger poisons your system.”

                                                                                                                       Paramahansa Yogananda

"The more we express our gratitude to God for our blessings,

the more he will bring to our mind other blessings. The more

we are aware of to be grateful for, the happier we become."

- Ezra Taft Benson

May you be truly blessed to always glitter with a radiance that shines

from deep within you.

                                                                                                    - Barbara Becker Holstein

Happy Thanksgiving to All

and may you be blessed with Joy!

Family

This is the time of year we start to think about our families. We remember the other times of get-togethers and smile or frown depending on the outcome of the gathering. Life often causes estrangements in our family relationships.

Sometimes it is because we are separated by distance. Other times there are resentments and misunderstandings. It seems that sometimes we hurt the ones we should love. Or maybe we just think we can take out our frustrations on them because they are family. Or perhaps it’s easier to blame them for our own problems, rather then admit we are wrong. And isn’t is convenient for us that family is there to take the brunt of our anger, because deep in our hearts we know that no matter what we do or say they will always love us, just because they are family.

However, because they are the ones we love and the ones who love us, isn’t that the reason we should make an even greater effort to be kind to each other, get along and share love not anger?

We need to try with extra effort to show gestures of love that can keep us rooted together as families. Because when you think about it, if a family can’t get along with each other, how will we get along with the rest of the world? How do we “love our neighbors” if we can’t “love our family“?

“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.

Whatever you call it, whoever you are,

You need one!”

                                                                                                            Jane Howard

To bring ourselves closer together as a family we must take time to do, even small things for each other. We must plan for things that can bring us together and create more love to share.

Sometimes remembering the times you shared together as children, or times of shared fun and laughter, will help to bring back the love that has slipped away. And other times we just need to be creative and reach out with a small gesture of a card or photo, anything that could bring about communication and sharing.

Forget the hurt feelings, the smoldering rivalry, forgive and forget, and reach out with the hand of love.

Give thanks for your family and realize what a special blessing they are.

And make this recipe to share.....


Lovelights Breakfast Bars

2 cups crunchy raisin bran
¼ c ground flax seed
Couple of shakes of cinnamon-maybe 1/2 teaspoon?
A little sea salt
½ cup dried pineapple
Mix together-set aside
In small saucepan mix together
½ cup almond butter
½ cup honey
1 T oil- I used sunflower oil
1 T butter

Heat until melted
Pour over other mixture and spread in a square oiled pan
Bake about 20 min until brown at 325 deg
Cut when cool

Yummy



Complaints

Cats sit in the sun

Soaking up the warmth

They preen and purr

And only ask for a little milk

It seems they understand life

                       And would never pollute the morning with complaints          Lovelight

Most of us know how to complain. In fact we are masters at it! Gripe and groan-moan and whine. And when we are like that we’re not much fun to be around. If we get up “on the wrong side of the bed”, and inflict our complaints onto others we not only start our day off wrong, we ruin their day also.

When we feel like complaining, isn’t it much better to stop, take stock and realize we aren’t helping ourselves with our negative mood? Cry if you must, but then try to be creative in finding some outlet for your frustrations and bad mood. Take a bubble-bath, watch a funny movie, even go somewhere private and yell (really loudly) if you must (the best I have found is to take a walk in nature), and then spend a quite time with God and let the Holy Spirit calm you and give you an answer to your dilemma and negative mood.

                          God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble-Psalm 46:1

If we can look at these complaining moods as a learning session on our path, then we can find the lesson we are meant to have, trust that behind all events, no matter how painful, there is a reason from which good can come, turn our mood around and sometimes even laugh about how foolish we have been. We can then also realize that we are our own worst enemy and bring so much of our problems on ourselves by dwelling on those same problems.                       “We have met the enemy and he is us” Pogo (Walt Kelly)

And then Love yourself and be Grateful for your answers.

‘What a gift of grace to be able to take the chaos from within

And from it create some semblance of order” Katherine Paterson

Create positive energy. It works more effectively than negative energy in each and every situation.

Gratitude and Joy

Geese piercing the sky in perfect formation

Autumn leaves swirling and dancing on the air

Morning sunrises greet us with beauty

                                    And evening sunsets sing us to sleep                     Lovelight

What better reason to be grateful. Life is good, life is beautiful and peace and calmness abounds.
And on a day when life seems empty and stressed, hold on to these images to return to that calm.
Know that God holds you in his hand, now and always and each day can be faced with gratitude and joy.
Joy lifts you up, floats you above the ground, gives you angel wings and freedom to enjoy life and allows you to love and be loved. To the very depth of your being!

A perfect day begins and ends with Joy.



Strength

The Lord is my rock and my fortress

And my deliverer;

The God of my strength,

In whom I will trust 2 Samuel 22:2:3

It seems we all have times of weakness and strengths but if we look at our lives most of us can find more strengths then weaknesses, for we are able to find and use those strengths when needed.

The strength to carry on in times of extreme sorrow and pain, the strength to stand and finish the job even though you were crying inside, the strength to get up when you really wanted to lie down, the strength to pick yourself up out of the ashes of disaster, the strength to over come the negative voices and make that greatly needed change, the strength to make it when everything seemed to point to failure, the strength remain firm in your faith, the strength to do what was needed for your family even though there seemed to be no rest in sight, the strength to overcome the blues and turn to something more positive, the strength to turn resentment into a lesson learned, the strength to turn your failures into a chance to begin again, the strength to ask for forgiveness when you really felt like being angry, the strength to break your bad habits and turn to good ones instead, the strength to destroy your quick temper when you really wanted to lash out, the strength to fight for your freedom when it would have been easier to give in, the strength to realize you were wrong and to admit it and then make amends, the strength to know your truths and live them even when others held you in disdain, the strength to move on when the past keeps haunting you, the strength to know, really know that lost loves are just a stepping stone to true love and happiness, the strength to have courage in the face of danger, even though you want to turn and run, the strength to stand up to and embrace change even though you are afraid of that change, the strength to face each and every day living from your heart with peace, contentment and gratitude even when nothing seems to work out, the strength to feel your sadness and then reach for joy, even when you can barely stop mourning, the strength to create a silent space within your soul so the Holy Spirit can guide you when you really want to scream with frustration, the strength to change your mind when something tells you to step back and wait, even when it displeases others, the strength to know that love can never be destroyed but only turns into another form, the strength to refrain from getting caught up in the dramas of life, when it bombards you from all sides, the strength to take control of your life, when others want to have control, the strength to turn to prayer, when you really want to complain and moan and finally the strength to know when to surrender all to God and let him lead.

Through these strengths we‘ve fought and stood firm and found victory and by doing so, will never sink to that deep valley again. We have gratitude and deep thanks for all those strengths.

“The purpose is to subdue the passions of the flesh and improve the spiritual self”

                                                                                                       Wooden Leg, Cheyenne

Scattered Pieces

“Break down the walls

Shatter the mistaken notions

Of loss, fear and loneliness

Shape the scattered pieces into

A mosaic of life

                                       Where beauty, peace and joy abide.”                    Lovelight

Most of us have felt at some point in our lives that life is nothing but scattered pieces…Everything we’ve done, or everyone we loved, or dreams we desired have all become scattered pieces. We wonder how can we pull them all together again. How can we get the strength to start over, to make sense of all these scattered pieces?

Look at life as a mosaic and work joyfully placing one piece at a time back into the pattern of your life…Look closely at the texture, the color, the shape to find how they fit in the pattern. Take all of those events, tragedies happenings, ugly memories, and fears and look deeply at them to get understanding and then remove the burdens of them from your heart and head. Ask for forgiveness, make amends with someone if you need to, forgive the person even if you can’t forgive the action. Let go of anger and resentment so peace can help you to get your heart back together.

Stop stumbling over the ought’s and should haves, regret, sorrow and guilt. Push them aside even if you can’t understand all the reasons for them, before they destroy you. Release all your worries and fears, manage your emotions by focusing on the positive and start over with a kinder feeling about yourself--have self-respect--self love and then you can love others.

Don’t assume that all your past actions and emotions were wrong; from this moment assume that they were right and a learning experience to help you find where those pieces belong. Don’t look outside yourself for answers, turn inward and look at the Holy Spirit. All answers are there. Ask to be shown understanding as to what and where all of these pieces belong in your life. Each of these pieces is a part of you and needed to complete the whole.

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost;

That is where they should be.

                                            Now put foundations under them.”            Henry David Thoreau

Instead of counting the scattered pieces, the bad experiences, the unhappy times, be quiet and refuse to talk about your trouble---stop and be grateful---count your blessings and your blessings will increase. Focus only on “what is right” with the idea that everything is in “perfect order” and blessings are coming and then give thanks.

And before you know it all the scattered pieces will become a perfect mosaic of happiness and contentment. We will move forward into a world of peace and love with renewed joy in our hearts.

“Truth is within ourselves

There is an inmost center in us all,

Where the truth abides in fullness;

and to know

Rather consists in opening out a way

Whence the imprisoned splendor may escape

Than in effecting entry for a light supposed to be without.”

Robert Browning

Then take a walk in nature as the sun sets and look upon the Light!

Sunday Morning Sunrise

Sunday morning in the desert...sun coming up...beautiful with purple mountains and crystal clouds...peace...joy...love...light! The four most important "feeling" words----with gratitude being wrapped around them all.

Woke up this morning just in time to see this glorious sunrise.  What a gift and then as I watched from my porch I saw a red Cardinal stop and sit in a tree for awhile.  He flew off and a yellow Warbler took his place.  Another gift.  As I stepped into the yard a Hummingbird darted down to within inches of my face to check me out. 

Sometimes we receive gifts we don't expect: the beauty of a sunrise, a sighting of gorgeous birds, a curious Hummingbird.  Perhaps Spirit who is much wiser then we, generously gives us these gifts so we can receive them with thanks and deep appreciation.  Each day is a gift given to us to enjoy.  May we all discover these gifts and greet each day with Joy!

                                                                     And what is Joy?

"Joy is the absence of fear.  Joy is your soul's knowledge that if you don't get what you think you want or need, its because you  were not meant to.  You're meant to have something better, something richer, something deeper.  Something More.  Joy is where your life begins with your first birth cry.  Joy is your birthright"     Sarah Ban Breathnach

and so the day begins!