Blessings galore for a new year filled to overflowing with love, light, laughter, abundance, health, friendship, and JOY!
It’s 2024!
Follow the hearts home
After dropping Ramesha at the airport for his flight to Portland, I headed to the town of Dixon to visit a friend who moved here six months ago or so.
Nancy and I have been close friends since we were fifteen — which was an amazing fifty-plus years ago. So, today was a wonderful opportunity to catch up on, well….everything!
Everything included the wonderful (but hard) work that she and her husband are putting in to create a beautiful sanctuary out of their yard.
I particularly loved this heart path leading to their front door.
Reflecting on friendship
We spent time with wonderful friends from both sides of the world today.
In the early evening we met with members of our Ananda Village music team. We’ve been in touch by text and email, but — with less than a week to go before we return home — it felt like time to begin the process of fully reengaging with our ministry there.
But more than that, it was an opportunity to hang out with dear friends that we haven’t seen now for almost two months.
Later in the evening we went to the home of our friends, Dudo and Karin, for tea. They’ve been my dear friends ever since Ramesha and I got together in 2003, though he’s known them for way longer than that.
While thoroughly enjoying the conversation and laughter I was also aware that we’ll once again be a continent away from them in less than a week.
Then there’s Ramesha’s family, who are equally friends.
I look forward to being back in California and seeing my father and siblings, but can’t help feeling sad that we’ll once again be apart from Silvio, Graziella, Fulvio, Manu, John-beni, Nicole, and Antonio.
Such precious friendships wherever we go, but — no — we don’t get to have them all in one place at one time.
Overflowing gratitude: update & new link
Oh, my goodness! I am humbled, moved, and in awe of the overwhelming response to my request for support.
To be honest, it has turned into something of a spiritual test for me. What I mean by that is that this process is challenging all my feelings of unworthiness while also pushing me way out of my “receiving” comfort zone.
I keep wanting to say, “Stop! It’s too much!” But then I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and focus on relaxing my heart and opening to receive.
After all, can one have too much love? Too much sincere friendship? I don’t think so, but allowing this much loving friendship to flow to me and through me is most definitely stretching and changing me.
And what a beautiful, beautiful process it is. I just wish I could find the words to express all that I feel.
Oh, well. “Grateful” will simply have to do.
P.S. There was a glitch with some of the mp3s. If you had problems opening or downloading, here’s the NEW LINK.
Happy Mother’s Day blessings
Thoughts and memories abound on Mother’s Day…
Remembering my mother, Bernice Louise Stroud.
Thinking about my sister, Catherine Buskey, as well as the many friends who have embraced the role of mother in this lifetime.
Of course, there are also those — in male as well as female bodies — who channel divine mother energy through nurturing and loving others.
And finally, there’s Liam Andrew, who made me a mother then left his body right before birth.
Much love to us all, mothers and children alike.
Fifty years of friendship
Today I’m feeling super grateful for my friend, Nancy.
We’ve known each other since we were fifteen years old. That’s a whole lot of living and shared experiences.
This photo is from about five years ago. We enjoyed a lovely Zoom chat this afternoon, but I’m looking forward to seeing her in person soon.
An unexpected gift
Today a dear friend served as Divine Mother’s emissary to me through a generous and completely unexpected gift.
But it was much more than the actual gift. It was love and support; seeing me and wanting me to feel seen and appreciated.
It was a powerful lesson in how to be a true friend. 💖
Together As One
I started out just being a little curious about today’s Google Doodle, but then I was so inspired by what I read that I decided to include most of the article in today’s blog (bold emphasis is mine)!
Fourth-grader Sharon Sara takes a very thoughtful approach to friendship: What you look like on the outside isn’t as important as who you are on the inside.
That’s the message Sharon emphasized in her winning entry for the annual Doodle for Google contest. This year’s theme was “I show kindness by…“ and Sharon’s entry focused on the sometimes difficult experiences she’s had trying to make friends.
“People have not wanted to be my friend because of how I look, so I decided to draw what I do!” she told Google. “No matter what people look like, you look on the inside and then decide if you want to be their friend.
“Kindness means to not look at someone from the outside, but look at their personality, and being open to their friendship,” she added.
Her entry, titled Together As One, features girls of different shapes, sizes and colors, in different styles of dress, holding hands in friendship.
Sharon was asked in an interview: “What does winning mean for you and your art?” I believe Swamiji would love her answer!
“I think winning will affect my view on art by giving my art more of a meaning. When I made my Doodle it had a meaning and I really want to do this with all my art!”
A divine mother gift
Usually when a package arrives in the mail it’s an item Ramesha or I ordered, which we’re eagerly awaiting. But something arrived yesterday — addressed to me — which wasn’t from any of the usual sources. The return address was that of a friend, but I still had no idea what it could be.
Well…! In a recent blog post I had mentioned the shawl from my Ananda Assisi days, which I had inadvertently ruined it in the wash, and how sad I had been about it.
So…! Peggy read that blog post and the shawl in the photo reminded her of one she owned. The colors weren’t entirely right for her but she thought I might enjoy it.
How sweet is that?!?
The colors are beautiful, indeed, but way more important is the sense of being loved and supported by divine mother, expressing through Peggy’s sweet and thoughtful friendship.
Thank you, Peggy! 💗
Writing again
I love whatever my friend, Manisha, writes. So I’m thrilled that my fellow Ananda blogger, William, and I have somehow managed to cajole her into writing a regular blog once again.
I just read the first two posts of her new blog, Camano Heaven on Earth: Simple living amidst beauty and friendship, and two things happened:
- I’m ready to hop on a plane for another visit to beautiful Ananda Farm Camano Island.
- I’m inspired to try her suggestion of starting my day off by writing in a gratitude journal, in order to “prime the pump” and start my day with more joy.
Thanks, Manisha. I’m looking forward to more; much more! 🙂