We had two doves last year that stayed close to the back yard. This year they began drinking out of the pond. They will stand at the top of the waterfall and drink from the rocks. If the waterfall isn’t running, and we come out on the patio, they will stand there and look at us like “Why isn’t the water on?” Early in the summer two younger doves showed up and started drinking from the waterfall too. I assume it’s the offsprings of the the older two.

They are such beautiful and peaceful animals.

I have been able to write again while I was off. I’m working on a new book idea, and so far it’s going well. As much as it started out being an avenue to push my own opinions and beliefs, it has turned into a challenge of my beliefs. I’m not sure where this will lead, but I am sure I will enjoy the trip.

One thing I have worked very hard on this week is tuning out the office. I left the crackberry on the bookcase all week! A friend of mine made a comment to me the other night that really stuck in my mind. “I like you better when you are on vacation.” Wow….what an eye-opener. I know my job sucks and stresses me out, but have I really let it affect those around me? I guess the truthful and uncomfortable answer is YES. So what am I going to do about it?

First, I need to be reminded of that comment every day. I typed her statement, printed it out, and posted it by my desk at home. I need to be reminded of this daily, or I will be drawn back into the ugly mire. I will also take a copy to the office and post it above my desk.

My job is just that, a job. There are going to be decisions made regularly that I don’t agree with, but I have to accept those and move on. I work with some people I do not like or respect, but I have to accept that and do my job as best as I can, and not be distracted by my own judgments of others. I need to learn to turn my work off when I leave the office. My evenings and weekends should be the time I enjoy being myself, not trying to unwind from the office.

I have given away too much of my life to the office. It was a choice I made, although I don’t recall making it. The stress is not good for my health, my life, or my relationships. My free time needs to be filled with my life, my family, my friends, and my goals.

So today I vow to let go of the work stress, and become a better me, in more control of my life. I will also work harder to be a better partner, a better parent, and a better friend. I don’t think it will be as easy as it sounds at first, but I will make it happen.

Thank you Leah for being honest with me….I needed it. Hugs!

Each of us must find our personal path to becoming one with God. To quote a line I read recently, there are many paths to the mountain top. We must honor and respect each path as a transformation from worldly to godly. Religion is the biggest obstacle to finding God. When we as individuals follow the teachings of a religion, and stop seeking the oneness with God, we build walls that negate a true relationship with God. We only experience a God defined by books and teachers. Thru religion, we are restricted by rules and philosophies that prevent us from experiencing the true essence of God. When we begin to grow and question our own beliefs, we are stopped not by our own intentions, but by how our questions will be received by society and the leaders of our churches.

Our growth in God is limited only by the obstacles we allow in our lives. No matter what your perception of who Jesus was, no one can deny he was a revolutionary. He questioned the church and teachings of his day. We should be doing the same today, maybe not as a society in revolt, but within our own hearts and souls. It is not until we break the chains of religion and tradition that can truly experience God in our lives.

Fellowship is a core need in most people. We want to be with people of like mind, friends who make us laugh, partners to share our lives with. Today’s model of religion helps fill part of that need with churches. But we have taken that need too far. We have decided that multi-million dollar buildings are where we find and experience God, rather than looking in our back yard. God is present with us at the breakfast table, in our pets, in our indoor plants and outdoor flower gardens, and in the people with whom we choose to share our lives. I am not suggesting that we should abandon all churches, but I am suggesting that each person should seek out that place that allows them to question and discuss their own path with others, without risk of ridicule and persecution. And the milllions or billions of dollars spent each year on new church buildings would be better spent taking care of the homeless and hungry.

My wish for everyone everywhere is that they step outside the boundaries, color outside the lines, and begin to experience God within themselves. Take a few minutes each day and look around you and see God. Look at the people in your life – your partner, your child, your friends and co-workers – and see the God inside them. And most importantly, my wish for everyone is that they stop hiding behind the walls of religion and tradition, and allow everyone to openly see and experience the God inside of them.

Namaste

The wave pool is awesome, and the more people that are in, the better it is. One word of caution though, it will make you tired if you spend a lot of time in it. You don’t realize while you are in it how much of a work out it is. After you get home, your thighs will feel like you’ve been working out at the gym. And if you have a bad knee like I do, you might want to take it easy the first time. But playing in the wave pool beats going to the gym any day. Be sure to tighten those swimming trunks….the wave can take away much more than your float.

The lazy river is just that – lazy and relaxing. We floated around the course several times. It was more fun when the park first opened this year though. When the season started, you had to be on a float to be in the lazy river. They don’t enforce that rule now. There are people walking the course. Why?? And there are many kids playing with floats, swimming and running and playing under the waterfalls. I enjoyed the attraction much more when I didn’t have to worry about floating over the top of somebody’s kid. There is a huge kiddie pool available, so I don’t know why so many parents are taking their kids to the lazy river to play.

There are two things I don’t enjoy about Nashville Shores. First, their food and drink prices are outrageous. They don’t allow you to bring in coolers, so they have a captive audience and can charge whatever they want. Although we didn’t today, we usually bring a cooler and leave it in the car. You can leave the park and get back in, so it’s much cheaper to bring your lunch in a cooler, and eat in the car.

The second thing I don’t like is having to pay for the good floats. They have a few available at the attractions, but not near enough, and I’m sure they know that. You can pay to rent a float, but you need to hold on to it. We had our float stolen off our chairs one time, and noticed that happening several times today. Someone tried to steal the floats from the couple sitting in front of us three times today. Floats should be included in the admission price. But more importantly, people shouldn’t steal. It’s a real shame you can’t go get a drink without having to carry your float around with you. We finally learned today to tie ours to the chair with our towels. I think next time we will bring the bicycle locks.

Summer Solstice is a celebration of the beginning of summer. It is one of the eight sabbats (holidays) of the pagan calendar, which form the wheel of the year. At the beginning of summer, the days start getting shorter, marking the transcending into the darker part of the wheel of the year. It’s a time to be thankful to the gods for the beauty of the flowers and our gardens, and the babies of the wildlife.

For me, it is a time to be reflective about the good things in life. We are at the high point of the year. The sun is bright, the days are hot, the evenings are warm, and the summer festivies are numerous. It’s a time for me to be thankful for everything good in my life, to be thankful for the friends that I have and for time spent with them, and it’s time to be thankful for the gifts I’ve received in this life.

So, to continue my summer solstice celebration:

I am thankful for my beautiful daughters. I love you both and think of you daily. I am thankful for the passion and love you have brought into my life.

I am thankful for my husband Greg. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. You bring out the very best in me. You have made me step out of my shell and try things I never would. You instill a confidence in me I have never know.

I am thankful for my friends. I am sorry I don’t spend more time with you, or stay in touch as much as I should. I will work very hard to change that, and try to be the friend to each of you that you have been to me.

I am thankful to the gods for my home, for my job which provides my livelihood, for the gifts you have given me, the space and knowledge to grow some of our own food, and for the wonderful life you have bestowed upon me.

As the days begin to grow shorter, I will be reminded of these things, and take comfort in all these blessings when the short days and long nights of winter approach.

Hail Sunna!

“I believe it takes special gifts and graces to join one of our armed forces and serve our Country. I believe that God chose those individuals and equipped them with those gifts. I today thank God for those He chose and for those that accepted His call. I appreciate all you’ve done and all the sacrifices you have made for me, my family and this country. Well done good and faithful servants! God Bless!”

I know this poster meant well, but I don’t think all the men and women who serve in the armed forces would agree with her way of thinking. First of all, not all soldiers are christian, and we have to recognize and accept that fact. I find this post to be a bit offensive, albeit unintentionally, because it takes away the free will and courage of our soldiers, and their desire to serve this country.

These men and women made a choice to serve our country. They put aside some of their own freedoms, left their family and friends behind, put some of their careers on hold, to make a commitment to our country and those living in it. Neither I, the original poster, nor anyone else has the right to take that choice away from them. I’m sure god is proud of them what they have done, but I don’t believe he molded and guided them to do it.

Especially on this Memorial Day, the men and women of our armed forces deserve our respect and gratitude. They do not deserve to have that taken away from them, and given to someone’s impression of their god. They deserve ALL the gratitude and credit for the choice they made.

Thank you, all men and women, serving in the armed forces to protect my country and my freedoms. May you receive all the respect you deserve today, and every day. May your god be proud of you for wonderful person you are.

I believe Jesus was a great teacher and prophet. He was a revolutionary who taught against the teaching of the church. He taught that we are to love God, and we are to love each other. It’s all about love and relationships. Today’s Christian churches seemed to have missed that teaching these days. I believe if Jesus came back today, he would teach the same lesson he taught 2000 years ago, scrap the church of laws and rules, and find God again.

The church today is focused on the idea that Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead after three days. I believe he was crucified, just for the things he said about the established church, which controlled the government. I don’t believe he rose from the dead though. But whether his resurrection is fact or myth doesn’t really matter. What does matter is did we hear the lessons that Jesus taught. Are we focused on God and taking care of each other? Do we provide food for the hungry and shelter for the homeless? Do we heal the sick, regardless of their social status or do we turn them away? Do we raise our children to respect their elders, each other, and themselves? Do we stand up for injustice, or are we just spectators waiting for someone else to speak up?

Easter is about new beginnings. Easter is about sacrifice. The sacrifice of doing what is right intstead of what is popular. The sacrifice of stepping out of our comfortable boundaries, and taking care of our neighbors that need our help, of accepting each other as children of God and nothing more, and taking care of the earth and life that are gifts of God. The sacrifice of this Easter should be a return to humanity, a return to love and acceptance, and a letting go of the prejudice, judgements, and stereotypes being preached today by churches, politicians, and media. Let this Easter be the day you give yourself permission to be the person that Jesus taught us to be, and not the person that’s expected of society.