Two Wolves

Hello from my heart to yours....

A Cherokee Legend

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

I have always loved that story... my sweet friend posted it on my wall on the eve of my boys' departure without realizing what a perfect story it is to share with them... they are gone once again to continue their life adventure... their "summer" visit was like a tornado and Giorgio and I are still recovering from the turmoil.. the rooms are upside down and we don't even know where to begin, but we'll get it done, I guess.. 

Their visit was "interesting" ... they truly are hilarious teenage boys.. the way they interact with one another is worthy of video-taping for a reality show.. their views and opinions are very different, and as I watched them fight and run after each other and lock each other out of the house and throw spears and shoot airsoft bb's at each other, I thought "OMG.. they are evil wolves" ... lol... but they aren't really, because 5 minutes after all the chaos, I would go to the room to check on the silence and they would be playing the PS3 and look at me like I was the crazy one... 

Anyway, I wanted to give them the Cherokee story as something to think about for their journey abroad, but in the last minute chaos, it didn't happen... so I'm writing it here because even though they don't always read my blessings (they say I'm the "hippiest" mother they know), they have confessed that when they miss me, they do go through their emails and read them randomly... and so I believe that they'll read it when they need it.. and that makes my heart smile...

We all have these two wolves inside of us... yes.. we DO .. and it's hard enough as adults to have control over which wolf we are going to feed.. imagine how much harder it is for a child or a teenager.. there are so many outside influences that can sway their ways.. so many things they don't understand or know how to react to and deal with yet.. and most of the time, young people just want to satisfy their hunger instantly and do not stop to think of the repercussions of "instant gratification" especially if the "bad" wolf is being fed... certainly we don't want to think that they are intentionally feeding that wolf, which is why, even though I believe Gibran when he wrote, "Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself."  .. I, also, believe that as parents, it is our responsibility to guide them and help them understand which wolf to feed... of course, this is best done by example... so if we live our lives as the blessed people God intends us to be.. then, the lesson shouldn't be so difficult...

I could go on and on here... after all, we all know both types of wolves... and maybe, we have even been both types of wolves at some point in our lives.. but as long as we have faith, hope and love in our hearts, and we remember that we are loved beyond measure always, I believe that, by default, only the good wolf will be fed... 

May you never have to really "fight" to feed the good wolf.. may the love and light in your heart keep the good wolf fed and satisfied always... you are a cherished blessing to the world...

May your weekend be blessed with all things good.... Namaste... 

Elena

p.s. I love you both my adventurous "good" wolves... Asalaam Alaikum.. I carry your hearts... Arrivederci ... xo

STAND UP

Hello from my heart to yours...

“Unless you call attention to your presence who will know you're there? Even a country has to weave and wave a flag as proof of its existence...It is a wondrous thing to have a country you can love..."
                                 ― Rod McKuen 

I used to be more of an activist... rallied and demonstrated any opportunity I got.. in my younger days, I have been known to hand-cuff myself to the fences of foreign embassies in the name of "Human Rights"... I have traveled by bus to Washington.. stood on over-turned garbage cans in the streets of NYC with signs larger than myself... stood on the steps of countless courthouses and the busy streets of Miami... after all, it is my Constitutional Right as written in the very First Amendment which reads : 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances... 

and Amen to that... of course, I am all over the place in my beliefs ... because the strongest belief I have is LOVE... love for all of my brothers and sisters ... every thing and anything that oppresses LOVE and the expression of LOVE and the freedom to LOVE one another as God wants us to, becomes a cause worthy of my presence as an advocate of LOVE... I can proudly say I have demonstrated for people of many countries and for many causes that have touched my heart ....

Anyway, I have been semi-retired... but today, I will be on the steps of the courthouse in downtown Miami for the "Stand up for Religious Freedom" rally ... While the driving force behind it are the Christians and Catholics of this community, I will STAND UP there because America's founders believed religious freedom to be the "first liberty" ... this goes for the entire world.. The United States even has "The Office of International Religious Freedom" .. its mission is to promote religious freedom as a core objective of U.S. foreign policy.. it monitors religious persecution and discrimination worldwide, recommends and implements policies in respective regions or countries, and develops programs to promote religious freedom... the U.S. is committed to the international covenants that guarantee "religious freedom" as the inalienable right of EVERY human being... this is the mission of the office:

1. Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a   source of stability for all countries;
2. Assist emerging democracies in implementing freedom of religion and conscience;
3. Assist religious and human rights NGOs in promoting religious freedom;
4. Identify and denounce regimes that are severe persecutors on the basis of religious belief.

hmmmm? okay then... sounds fantastic.. then why is there a nationwide rally today in 113 cities to "Stand Up for Religious Freedom" right here in our country when we are the ones who are supposed to be defending the freedom of religion for the world?" ... it reminds me of that song.. "Things that make you go.. hmmmm" 

Well... I don't know... and I honestly have to admit I do not follow any kind of political agenda's really... haven't even read the HHS Mandate completely... I learned so much when I worked in politics (that I won't go into here ever), and I have adopted the belief that I am here to love my country no matter what and to try to govern myself as a good citizen in society.. I choose to believe and stand up for that which makes my heart hurt... I am passionate about so much and yet so little... but this is my truth... I love God.. I love Jesus Christ and accept Him as my Savior.. I love my country.. I love my family.. I love my friends.. I love the beautiful strangers I encounter daily... I look for God in everyone that passes me by.. therefore, I will STAND UP today in the name of LOVE...because I believe God is LOVE... and ALL the people in this world of ours should have the right to religious freedom... faith, hope and LOVE is what unites us all ...because we are all loved beyond measure and are cherished blessings to the world... and today as I STAND UP, I adopt John Keats' philosophy, "Love is my religion - I could die for it." ...  

May your weekend be blessed with an abundance of LOVE,

with much love,

Elena

Savor Life

Hello from my heart to yours....

"I who am blind can give one hint to those who see: use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. And the same method can be applied to the other senses. Hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch each object as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail. Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel as if tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. Make the most of every sense, glory in all the facets of pleasure and beauty which the world reveals to you through the several means of contact which nature provides. ."     —Helen Keller

We didn't come here to simply pass through life on our way to someplace else. We came here to savor life, to sensually take it all in, moment by cherished moment....

I love Spring.. (well, heck..I love every season in South Florida... lol), but Spring is probably the best... it's the perfect season to start anew... see and memorize the beauty around you... the beauty in a stranger's face when you smile and they smile back.... hear the joy in the word "hello" or better yet, the joy when someone says, "I love you, baby"... touch the outstretched hand and feel the warmth...and hug someone tight... it's a fabulous feeling...  smell the colors in the wind... (I know that sounds crazy, but smell someone who has come in from the sun...and I promise you will smell the "yellow" ) .. and the flowers that are blooming all around us... taste a blade of grass or a berry from a bush...  be creative and explore your senses.... use your senses to feel the glory in the life you are living....it is a lovely life...and you should be holding on to it with both hands.....

Remember... you are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to the world... SAVOR LIFE... live the life you love and love the life you live always... make every day the best day ever...

May your day be filled with all things good,

I love you... Namaste,

Elena

Let it Grow.. Now is the Season

Hello from my heart to yours....
 
"Consider a field of lilies in seed. The wind which carries the seed plays no favorites. The seeds fall where they will, according to the fortunes of wind and weather. Those that fall in fertile soil, may be tended and cared for. Grow strong and bloom. Those that fall in baron soil will die. Yet some will cling to life in arid places. On hillsides, in deep clefts. And so, the traveler, unsuspecting, comes upon a sight of beauty. A single lily, growing amid the rocks. The thoughtful traveler will water this lily in passing. Grateful for its strength, its beauty, its tenacity to life. And growing in the rocks, as it is, is it not, in its essence, still a lily.. And every bit as beautiful as these.."
                                                                                         Master Kahn, Kung Fu
 
 
Let's Celebrate Springtime!  Let it Grow!  Now is the season for movement, change, growth, and new life.  Imagine yourself as a seed that has been carried by the wind and has fallen randomly on God's earth... if you imagine yourself having fallen on fertile ground... Amen! ....now is the season to grow... but if you feel you have fallen on dry dirt... do not despair... think of the lily clinging to the rock... and then imagine God as your rock.... Amen! ....  now is the season to grow.... grow and experience the light of your truth pushing up through the darker beliefs that have held you captive as a seed... now is the season to burst into the light....  
 
A seed is probably one of the most amazing things in this world... it's hard to imagine that such a tiny thing can produce something as large as they do... Seeds are so often used in parables and stories as metaphors for spiritual birth and/or spiritual growth... the Bible has several of them.. Zechariah 8:12 is a great verse with a spiritual metaphor... I understand this verse to mean, "The seed will grow well (people will continue to grow), the vine will yield its fruit (people will blossom and grow spiritually), the ground will produce its crops (the people will multiply), and the heavens will drop their dew" (the heavens will provide the nourishment that the people will need to keep growing and prosper)... all we have to do is have faith, hope and love in our hearts...

Anyway... last Friday, I went to see The Lorax ... What a delightful movie...a perfect message for Spring and for the upcoming Earth Day celebrations in April...and even, a message to go with the Lenten theme of "reflection, reconciliation and reformation" ... the message:  "Let it Grow" ... yes, that is the message... literally, they are singing about the seed growing... however, metaphorically I interpret it as ... now is the season... we are the seeds and we have the seed of light and love within us.. we have the ability to sow that seed, and then, reap the wonderful harvest of the LIGHT and LOVE that is ours in our Divine Right as children of God...
 
and so.... use Spring as an excuse if you will to ...GROW... like a seed in the fertile soil longing for the light... and like a seed trapped in rocks longing to survive... God's love is pushing you to grow.... now is the season to take advantage of that.... Spring is the season of love... and you are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to the world!
 
May your day be blessed with all things good,
With love,

Elena

Time Management

Hello from my heart to yours...

"Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." 

                                                                                                                                               — H. Jackson Brown

The one special quality that you possess, that none of the others mentioned had, is your own unique perspective. No one can give to the world what you can, just as no one can make this time your own...  but YOU.... And the blessing is, as Anne Frank so beautifully pointed out, "...nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

The only remaining question, therefore, is this: What are you waiting for? ... I am a repeat offender of thinking "I don't have enough time..." and I procrastinate so much sometimes that I end up doing nothing with the time I have... I am even guilty of saying this with regards to writing the blessing... 

On Thursday afternoons, I am soooo over the stress of my 9 year old doing homework that I give him a "pass" and allow him to do it on Friday mornings before school... this morning, he did not want to get up.. much less, do his homework..but we did and we ran out of time.. he was going to be late to school.. sure, it's my fault and I told him that when he filled out the tardy pass to say just that.. "It was Mama's fault" ... he turned and said, "Nope, I am going to put "I did not want to get up because I did not want to go to school .. and so we ran out of time because I took too long... THAT is the truth Mama..." ... "yes, I suppose it is so go ahead and write whatever you want.."

Well... bad Mama.. we had plenty of time in the afternoon to do the homework... but we simply did not feel like it... that's how it is with life sometimes... we have plenty of time to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others, but we all know how much easier it is to sit in the garden and feel the sun on our faces and feel the cool breeze blowing and do nothing... it's much easier to put life off.. sometimes we might need to in order to achieve a long-term goal, but sometimes time passes us by and it becomes too late... 

This may seem like an extreme example... but I have a friend who studied medicine.  She married right before she started the long haul and kept saying, "I'll have a baby after I get through this... well, I'm done with that, but I don't have time for a baby now so, when I get through this, I will... and so on for 15 years..." now at almost 40, there is still no baby and her husband is resentful and accusing her of being selfish... maybe that is another subject completely, but my point is that time does run out sometimes. 

Anyway, I try to manage my time... to make time for everything... but I am the kind of person who does need to lie in my trampoline and look up at the avocado tree branches we try to jump and grab.. I need to sit in silence and do nothing... I don't believe it's dong nothing though.. I pray.. I meditate.. I dream... it may not be a way of "improving the world" by starting to do anything, but it helps me when I do start whatever I take on... 

So, after all this rambling... what am I waiting for? ... hmmmmmm.... a little more time perhaps?... oh, epic failing blessing I guess since I can't lead by example...  oh well....

I hope that at least all of you always understand that you have all the time you need to make a difference.... you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to me.

May your weekend be blessed with an abundance of love,

with love,

Elena

"It is good that we are here...."

Hello from my heart to yours...

 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2

Last Sunday was "Transfiguration Sunday" ... the Greek word "transfiguration" translates to "metamorphosis" ... I have been thinking about this for the past two days... while in the bible, Mark is referring to Jesus' appearance "transfiguring" before them, I have been trying to relate it to ALL of us since I write for so many people with different beliefs... ... 

....and then, I read in my little black Lenten book that even though the transfiguration of Jesus is an interesting incident.. "and his clothes became a dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them" .. transfiguration is supposed to happen in our lives, too... ALL of our lives... the brightness of God's life within us may not shine forth in such a spectacular way, but it happens when we let it shine forth so that others can see it in the way that we love one another.. in our smiles.. in our hugs... in the twinkling of our eyes... and especially in the way we forgive ourselves and one another daily... When Peter, one of the disciples tried to describe the moment on the mountain, he could not... all he could say was, "It is good that we are here!"

While driving from Orlando two weekends ago, the son of my very best friend, began to ask what we thought heaven looked like.. and so, we entered into a personal and spiritual realm with three very inquisitive boys... everyone has their own concept of what heaven is like.. and some believe that maybe this passage in the Bible gives us a little glimpse of it... "it was magnificent, fulfilling, peaceful, joyful" .. a moment in which everything that was good came together... I don't know... I would like to describe what I think it might look like, but then you would all know how "touched" I really am.. so, I won't go there...  

Anyway, life has many ups and downs and I believe that we are always in a state of "metamorphosis" as we learn to adapt and be flexible and conform and compromise... everyday is a chance for us to "transfigure" ourselves into the blessed person that God intends us to be.. through constant prayer and meditation and affirmations, we are all capable of making all the moments in our lives a reason to say, "It is good that we are here.." 

After all, we are loved beyond measure and are cherished blessings to the world... why not let the light that we carry in our hearts shine forth so that we ALL feel one another's love in a spectacular way... 

May your afternoon be blessed with all things good,

I love you and salute the Divinity within you,

Elena

Flying Lessons

Hello from my heart to yours...

"'Come to the edge,' he said.

They said, 'We are afraid.'

'Come to the edge,' he said.

They came.

He pushed them, and they flew..." 

                            - Guillaume Apollinaire 

This is one of my favorite quotes.... I can totally envision it... it's all about having faith and believing that if pushed, we will actually fly... it's perfectly "normal" to be afraid to get too close to the edge.. life is scary, but we have to remember that we are blessed people and God has given us one another to love and be loved in return... all we need to do is hold the hand next to ours until we are ready for someone to give us that little push, or better yet, until our faith is so strong that we ourselves let go.... and fly ...
.  

However, let's use this quote to do a mental exercise today and through the weekend.. and any time you need help flying...... a meditation of sorts ...

Close your eyes...Think of a current problem; a situation you may be in; anything that you know is holding you back from moving forward... In your mind's eye, see it is represented by a wide, deep chasm cut across the face of the earth and imagine yourself fearlessly stepping to the very edge and looking down.... Far, far below you can see a rapidly flowing river so narrowed by the distance that it looks no wider than string. 

Now imagine spreading your arms open wide and leaping from the edge, falling downward for an instant and then feeling your body being lifted on a strong current of air.... You ride the current upward....  Up, up, up you go, soaring higher and higher, feeling exhilarated and alive....

Soaring to a whole new level of understanding where faith, hope and love keep you afloat... and all because you stepped to the edge and jumped...


So, did you see yourself?  Try this every time you find yourself having to deal with some kind of "problem" ... even a "disappointment" ... or a "project" ... I don't know... put whatever you want into that chasm ... see it disappear into the flowing river... have faith in God and yourselves  ... and you will always be able to fly...

Everything we fear in life that deters us from moving forward either ties us in knots and makes us feel trapped OR gives us an opportunity to fly.... We get to choose which.... 

May we always be aware that everything that we fear.. every obstacle that we face... everything that deters us from being the blessed people God intends us to be... all that holds us back from living the life we love and loving the life we live... all these things and more are simply flying lessons in disguise.... 

Have faith and believe that you will always be able to fly if you "let go and let God" .. because you are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to the world..... come on, let's all fly together...

May your weekend be blessed with all things good,

I love you... Namaste... 

Elena 

Keepers

Hello from my heart to yours...

 

"Can I keep you?"  from Casper the friendly ghost......

This is a blessing that I have sent in the past on the first day of Spring... I like it because, every year, my "keepers" list seems to change... and I suppose it's because I am ever-changing... but regardless, I "recycle, reduce and reuse" it today on the birthday of one of my favorite "kept" friends... the thought of her in my life makes every day "the best day ever" .... 

Every so often, we meet people we want to "keep" ... we just know it right away.... could be their smile, or their eyes, or the way they speak... or they way they make us feel.... we can't always pinpoint what it is, but we know that we want them in our lives.... These kinds of people can add light to our lives.. they bring a feeling of goodness, hope, peace and love.... and they lift our energy level and make us feel so blessed...... we just want to spend hours on end with these people and we usually don't let life get in the way of it....

Of course, sometimes it does... and then we forget about those people that we met once and wanted to "keep" ... relationships are hard to maintain... we may have "kept" that person by marrying them, but now ..let's say... 20 years later, we look at that person and don't recognize them really... or we may have a childhood friend we've "kept" for 35 years and now as adults wonder why we did.... life experiences change us for sure.. when couples have children, energies shift ... as we grow up, we make new adult friends that have things in common with us as adults.... which is kind of what happened with me and Jules... our boys started middle school together (at a new school) and we were the "outsiders" .. we were too hippie.. too progressive.. too free.. for all the other mothers who had been together for 5 or 6 years... and so our boys "kept" one another and then, so did we... making new friends is hard because many of us conform ourselves and are content to live our lives with "psuedo" friends.... whatever it is, for me it always goes back to one of my favorite quotes...

"When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself."  — Ernest Hemingway (A Moveable Feast)

We still have 3 weeks before it is officially Spring, but in South Florida, the "false Spring" is in the air... the weather is beautiful.. the blue jays and cardinals are already in my garden bathing in the birdbath and eating from the feeders.. they fill my soul with love... and so in keeping with the idea of the Lenten season... this time of "reflection, reconciliation and reformation", let us look at our loved ones.. spouses, significant others, parents, children, co-workers and friends ... Think of the reason you wanted to keep them in your life in the first place and be happy.... and tell them why they are "keepers" .. express your love to them... we all need to be reminded sometimes... .. make loving people your way of life...

 

Today I celebrate my friend... today I celebrate all the people whom I have "kept" and have "kept" me back... and my heartfelt wish to all of you is that you are able to see the "Spring" in everyone you encounter so that you are always asking "Can I keep you?" because YOU are loved beyond measure and are as good as Spring to me...   

May your day be blessed with all things good... Namaste....

I love you,

Elena