Need a Good Laugh?

We all need a gOoD lAuGh, right ?

HERE is where I've been getting mine lately. . . Jason, you funny guy !!!!!! :0)

Live In The Moment

A doctor at my university, who is one of my professors and great mentor, engraved in me a very important lesson a couple of years back: to live in the moment and enjoy each and every second of it. The intellectual side of myself as fully integrated this, and even though I am somewhat making progress in this area, I feel that part of me is still miserably failing at it.

For many years now, I have been pursuing my higher education … many years … almost 5. My voyage started with a degree in biology, which has crossed over to a B.S.N. in nursing. I am done in December of this year (if all goes well … yikes).

I see my children growing, changing, becoming amazing human beings, and I want to grasp each and every beautiful/precious moment … but somehow I am stuck in front of a computer writing and editing research papers right now … arrrrrgh. I know, I know … what I am doing is for them, but I sure would love to be able to reach some kind of balance in my life. It seems that I don’t have time for nothing ~ not for my family, and not for myself.

I am now putting down my laptop and making time for them.

At Carlikup's Home Today ...

Integrity & This Weeks EnCouraging Bliss

For this week's EnCouraging Bliss exercise, click HERE!

To All Artists / To All Humans ...

I just thought I'd share something wonderful with you ... by the way, where was I? Am I the only one who didn't see this??? Siiigh ....

enCouraging Bliss: My Happy Place

Click here for this week's exercise !

Dear Lady

On the last days of your life, when I saw you lying there

Alone you were

No one next to you

No one to hold your hand

Trying to speak as you gasped for every breath of air

I felt helpless ...

Ho how I am haunted,

I didn't hold your hand, I didn't hold your hand, I didn't hold your hand ...

I DIDN'T HOLD YOUR HAND !!! I should of stopped and held your hand ...

Please forgive me

I hope that angels were comforting you

I am sorry that this is how you had to pass

I hope that every time someone reads this

You will know that there is one more person thinking of you, caring for you

And that you will know that you are not alone

I hope you feel elevated and rejoyced each time

My sweet, dear lady.

~ me, a nursing student~

Week Two ~ enCouragingBliss: Our Bodies as Healthy Vehicles

This week's enCouraging Bliss topic really hits home with me ~ but this is no surprise, because it seams that everytime I am going through some sort of crises, BlissChick writes about it :0)

Christine explains how in order to fully know and live our bliss, we must first be solidly situated within our physical bodies ~ Hooooo my God ... so so so true. I feel that this is where I am situated right now in my life. I feel that I have come such a long way spiritually and in my life's jouney, but at the same time, there is this ONE obstacle that prevents me from being my best, and that is: My Body. I think about it EVERY SINGLE DAY. I mourn my old body. I really mourn it ~ you know, that paralyzing kind of mourning? It seams that's all I think of lately ~ in an obsessed kind of way. For years I have been neglecting myself, for years. ANd I am feeling the downside of it today in a big, not so good way. I am working on it, and I am making changes ~ but I am very hard on myself.

My beautiful BlissChick further explains that it is through our physical bodies that we have this spiritual and creative experience called life, so it makes sense that to fulfill purpose, we must start with the concrete ~ Ha! You see, another important point! I am so tired all the time, it makes it difficult to achieve everything I want to.

Christine reminds us how our body is our own sacred temple . . . Judaism also reminds us of that: God told us to build a temple so He could come and dwell within, to build a temple within us so He could come and dwell within us . . . Judaism also tells us how our body is not our own property, that it has simply been lended to us as a vehicle for our soul, and that is why we need to take good care of it.

In order to mend the damaged self-perceptions of ourselves/bodies, we are enCouraged to do the following Body Story Exercise:

1. Set up an area just like you would for some private meditation time. Make sure you won't be interrupted. Make sure you feel safe.

2. First, take a moment and list all of your body parts. Start at the top or bottom and work your way down, creating a column.

3. Second, without much concerted effort or thought, read each word aloud, breathe, and write down the first things that come to mind in the next column. Write as much as you need to.

4. Third, in the next column, write down the beautiful truth about your parts. Be honest. Be loving. Be kind. If you must, imagine you are doing this for a friend, someone whom you wish to build up and support.

Here is what I came up with:

"Rear" & "Hair", I appologize for not being as kind with you as I did with my other parts . . . I'll work on it ;)

Tarot Thursday ~ Yay!

Through my dear friend's blog & radio show, Connie, I got introduced not so long ago to a really cool and soulful artist, Elena Rego. Elena is a multitalented artist, a beautiful artist. She started this wonderful gathering that happens every thursday, called Tarot Thursday. Elena is walking us through the journey of dicovering Tarot ~ read her intro here. Well, you have no idea how this has got me excited! So excited!

Cards & Tea readings have long been familiar in my matriarchal lineage, but I had always strongly pulled away from it when I was younger. For several years now however, I have had a deep longing to connect with the Tarot. This is such a wonderful oppurtunity!



So, every thursday, after a dicussion, Elena assigns us homework. It took me a while to get homework #1 done; it's almost as though I didn't feel comfortable with the cards. And then it's like something incredible happened, and the cards sort of spoke to me.

Homework #1 can be found here.





Week one was about being introduced to the Major Arcana. We were explained that Arcana is Latin for "secrets or mysteries", and the Tarot is a collection of secrets that are comprised of major secrets or mysteries, and minor, mundane secrets or mysteries, which are designed to explain our universe and our existence within it.

It was proposed that we lay out our Major Arcana cards a certain way: The Fool card on its own on top and then dividing the remaining 21 cards into three rows according to their number.

We were further guided to take as long as we could to really look at each card, get to know them, the colors, numbers, words; make note of the cards of the cards that we immediately liked and disliked. After, look at them within the story of a journey: Look at the Fool, and then "walk" with him/her through the other cards; make note of any story that pops into our mind...


Here is my reaction regarding particular cards:

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Today, my little girl turns 9! I love you Sarah!




My Mom, Sarah, & Shayki

Live Your Bliss Accountability Circle

Last summer was a very difficult time for me. It was a time where healthy spiritual and physical changes were needed in my life.

The universe listened to me and understood exactly what I needed. The universe sent me “BlissChick”! BlissChick is my Zen Conscience. Reading her blog daily, reminds me how to treat my soul and my body. It has to be one of the best blogs out there. To be honest, I don’t feel the need to buy any self-help books that are offered , because Christine covers it wonderfully at her blog ~ no kidding! I mean, I have seriously considered calling the Oprah Winfrey’s staff, and recommend that they should go check this wonderful blog out for themselves (HeeHee!)! I think she’s one of those “undiscovered” amazing revolutionary artists! Ya know what I’m saying???? I love here, love her, love her!!

Christine started something wonderful: “enCouragingBliss” every Thursdays; a place that she explains, would allow for people to leave comments about concrete steps they wanted to take toward walking their bliss paths.. She has now proposed that instead of commenting on her blog about it every Thursday, we could write a post about it on our own blog and link back to it. “Live Your Bliss Accountability Circle” will be challenging for me, but something that I am excited to undertake! Oooooooh, I am so excited! Read more about it HERE!

Okay, so for this week, I must think about the following:

...when I visualize my happiest, healthiest, most rockin'est self, what do I see? Where do I see this? What am I doing?


So, I decided to divide this into 3 categories:


-career
-self
-health

Portrait Of A Friend

"Portrait of a Friend"

I can't give solutions to all of life's problems, doubts,
or fears. But I can listen to you, and together we will
search for answers.


I can't change your past with all it's heartache and pain,
nor the future with its untold stories.
But I can be there now when you need me to care.


I can't keep your feet from stumbling.
I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall.



Your joys, triumphs, successes, and happiness are not mine;
Yet I can share in your laughter.

Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge;
I can only support you, encourage you,
and help you when you ask.

I can't prevent you from falling away from friendship,
from your values, from me.
I can only pray for you, talk to you and wait for you.

I can't give you boundaries which I have determined for you,
But I can give you the room to change, room to grow,
room to be yourself.

I can't keep your heart from breaking and hurting,
But I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces
and put them back in place.

I can't tell you who you are.
I can only love you and be your friend.

--Unknown

The Courage Campaign

Did you watch Dustin Lance Black's acceptance speech for "Milk" at the Oscars?

Dustin channeled the spirit of Harvey Milk with a universal message of hope and determination in the aftermath of the passage of Prop 8.

His inspiring speech has the potential to change lives. Check it out here and then join me in thanking Dustin, Sean Penn, and Cleve Jones for bringing Harvey Milk and his message of hope to millions:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/ThankYouForMilk

The more people see this speech, the more lives will be touched by the meaning of "Milk."

Thanks.

Many Prayers Are Needed!

Please, let us all pray for the safety of our Australien friends.