Rosh HaShanah

Hello from my heart to yours....

..In the seventh month, on the first of the month, there shall be a sabbath for you, a remembrance with shofar blasts, a holy convocation. -Leviticus 16:24

 

This is a blessing that I recycle every year... naturally, I take the liberty of editing because my thought process changes every minute... but the core message remains the same...  

I re-send it, with love, for all my Jewish friends especially.... and for my Christian friends, as a reminder that we were all Jewish once... after all, Jesus Christ celebrated this Holiday for 33 years..... 

 

Rosh HaShanah began last night at sunset and lasts until nightfall tomorrow... it is the Jewish New Year 5773... There are many traditions and customs that go into celebrating Rosh HaShanah, but this is my favorite I think because everyone can relate to it...

On Rosh HaShanah religious poems are added to the regular services... these poems refer to Psalm 81:4 ...

ד  תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר;    בַּכֵּסֶה, לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ.	4 Blow the horn at the new moon, at the full moon for our feast-day.

 

The holiday is characterized by the blowing of the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram's horn and not from the horn of any other kind of animal, intended to symbolically awaken the listeners from their "slumbers" and alert them to the coming judgment.

 

So, I thought how wonderful it would be if every time we were "slumbering" ... and not listening to God's Word... and not following His commandments... someone blew the shofar to alert us... we need reminders throughout the day that we are not behaving as God's children... not behaving as the blessed people that we all are... this world would be a much better and loving place if we heard a little horn go off, wouldn't it? 

 

There are many instances in which we hear some type of shofar... sports come to mind immediately... that whistle just blows and blows...  for children, they hear the school bells.. this tells them that school is starting.. or hurry up because it was the late bell... and to change classes... many factories use whistles to let their workers know the day is over... can't you just hear Fred Flintstone right now? lol...... and Pavlov, in his conditional reflex experiment on saliva, used a variety of stimuli, including whistles, tuning forks and the ringing a bell to signal to the dog that food was on its way... 

 

In the Catholic mass, the altar servers ring sanctus/altar bells.. the primary reason for ringing the bells is to create a joyful noise to the Lord as a way to give thanks for the miracle taking place atop the Altar of Sacrifice ... however, another function of the bells is to focus the attention of those attending the Mass ..and "slumbering" ... that a supernatural event is taking place on the altar.

 

All of the world's people are guilty of "slumbering"... as adults, we shouldn't need a sound to remind us that the judgement day is coming and we should all be in God's grace when that happens... maybe we just need a little nudge from someone every once in awhile... something to keep us "awake"... maybe we can work on triggering our own minds and hearts so that when we do something wrong, we hear that shofar blowing in the distance ... blowing to awaken us from our slumber.... I don't know.. it's hard I suppose in this noisy world we live in... but we have to try because we are all loved beyond measure and are cherished blessings to the world...  

Just last week, a friend blew the shofar at me... I kind of knew I was "slumbering", but didn't quite know how to get out of the funk that I was in... on the morning that I met with him, my daily affirmation was... "Now is the appointed time.. today is the day of my amazing good fortune." ... and it surely was and is.... this holiday will forever mean so much to me... so much so, that I have been reading about the different rituals performed today... and the one that I especially liked and will do today is the Tashlich... Tashlich means "to cast" ... this custom consists of reciting select verses next to a body of water, such as a sea, river, stream or lake, preferably one that has fish... the idea is that "You shall cast into the depths of the sea all your sins." The reason for saying Tashlich next to a body of water is because Rosh HaShanah is the day when the Jewish people coronate God as King of the Universe... and even though I am Catholic, I rejoice with my Jewish friends as this is OUR, One and merciful God......  

I could go on and on, of course... (can you tell how excited I am about beginning the New Year?), but the blessing is really too long already... so, I will leave you all with this: 

 

L'Shana Tovah ...  "May your name be inscribed in the book of life and sealed for a good year."

 

May your day be blessed with all things sweet,

With Love,

Elena

9-11

Hello from my heart to yours....

"Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?" 

 

Alan Jackson, one of my favorite country singers

I was searching for last year's blessing for this day to get some kind of inspiration on what to write....... and well, I didn't send one... I did find ones from years prior... but they didn't inspire me much... the message still remains the same... it was one of the saddest days in history... and always will be... 

It is hard to write something meaningful regarding the events of 9/11... I searched the internet to find something, but there didn't seem to be much in the way of thoughtful poetry or prose by anyone that moved me in a wow way... maybe because writers aren't much different than anyone else; all of us suffered the same raw feelings regarding the event... and who really wants to write about it? ... worse, that the devastation was brought to us live on television.. in real time... not to mention the endless replays of the tragedy... how can words be as vivid as the visuals we all experienced?  Everyone remembers where they were when the world stopped turning that September day...   and 11 years later... the memory seems as vivid as if it happened yesterday....

Of course, I did find a poem by my good and faithful friend, Rod McKuen, that I'd like to share with you today...

SOME HEROES /  9-11 SOME YEARS ON

Some Heroes do not engage, are passive in the fight. Dying unaware that any battlefield grew up around them. Some heroes are just passing through on their way to work or home, making love and lunch appointments on cell  phones, in cellblock cubicles. Some heroes whistle on their way to death caught unawares while polishing politeness eating or deleting Spam, expiring in delirium, not unwilling but not knowing, with no final will  tucked into top left-hand drawer. Some heroes learn to fly without a practice  run, a test on some low country hill. And more  than one young hero never reached a poppy  field because they turned to dust or powder while God was taking his usual time returning earth to earth, dust to natural dust.  If the battle comes to them then I insist heroes are heroes and they need not enlist. To die without a chance to choose, choice  left to chance makes heroes sure as targets practiced and then hit by marksman or marked man in battle gear. Some heroes  good & true become so just by being there. First published in Flight Plan 9/11/2006

I, also, give you a youtube link of the song.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW8puRqE4Sc

As I remember that day, I reflect on the following quote..... it reminds me to continue to have faith, hope and love in my heart... it reminds me to pray and live my life in grace and as the blessed person God intends me to be....

"....Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee..." 

Remember that you are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to me and the world...

May your day be filled with remembrance and prayer... for those heroes who became so by just being there... for the families they left behind ... and for the people of this wondrous country that will never forget where they were when the earth stopped turning.... 

GOD BLESS THE USA!

Elena

Ode to a People

hello from my heart to yours...

"Gracias por dejarte conocer... trajistes mucha alegria con tu visita..."  

(Thank you for letting us know you... you brought much happiness with your visit..)        Carlos aka Poco Pelo

Isn't that a beautiful sentiment? One of my mother's friends in Costambar, Dominican Republic, said that to me as I was leaving for the bus.. funny thing is that I was thinking how being with all of them brought me much happiness... but the compliment goes deeper than that really... I cried... I felt so humbled.. I felt a little sad... maybe the meaning gets lost in translation... I don't know.. but it really affected me so... "gracias por dejarte conocer" ... as if people don't let others know them? hmmm.. well... yes... do people just naturally let others know them? not really, huh? I find it hard to comprehend because I am so open .. I wear my heart on my sleeve.. but then again, I am so reserved really and only allow people to know what I want them to know... "a lot" of people know "a little" about me..... what is a constant is though, is that I do try to bring only happiness to each relationship... there's no reason to be an "oh woe is me" kind of person even if my heart is aching.... and that is what I found so fascinating about the people with whom my parents share their lives with in D.R. .. they can all be "llorando la miseria.. (crying poverty...their misery) ... and they don't.. they are the richest people in spirit... they share every little thing they have.. but most of all, they share themselves...

They wake up thankful for the day... the minute the curtains are opened, you hear salutations through the windows... there is a calm feeling in the little breeze that comes through the screen... my dad makes a full pot of coffee and invites the people of the building to come in and share a cup.. they eat some crackers with butter and wait for the electricity to go out for the morning... Carlos is the building caretaker.. a humble servant, who trades his services, to the residents of the 8 apartment building, for a place to sleep.. a 40 square foot utility shed... his only income is cooking lunch at a place behind an abandoned resort that the "owners" made into a bar/restaurant... I say "owners" because these people saw this empty space and simply set up shop... anyway, after he cooks there, he walks through the building asking if anyone needs anything.. he'll walk my cousin's dog, bring some bottled water to the guys upstairs, exchange a few words with my dad and then, he usually naps at the beach on the chairs they rent out only on the weekends... most of the money he makes, he sends to his son who lives 6 driving hours away at a school for the deaf... 

At all times of the day, there is no lack of conversation.. people walk up and down the street to the beach area and look into the apartment and wave.. if my parents want to, they wave them in.. "ven, ven" (come, come) ... if not, they just wave back... nothing is very private really... I would get up, have coffee and then, wash the clothes that we wore the day before by hand (before the electricity went out because then there is no water pressure from the cistern) ... walk up to the rooftop and hang everything on the line... there is a mattress on the rooftop under a small overhang that used to be a bar... Rossi (a guy who works at the port and lives on the 2nd floor) sleeps there a lot... he has a bed in his room, but their apartment doesn't have an inverter generator so he says it's much cooler just to sleep up there... anyway, if there were clothes on the line, I would fold them and just put them on a chair for their rightful owner... from the rooftop, you can see what all the neighbors are doing... and everyone waves happily at one another... 

and the morning continues with a "project" .... there is always a "project" and usually it is very challenging to get anything done for lack of... you don't just go to home depot and buy everything and more than you need.. my mother and I spent one morning trying to fix the freezer door... we ended up using some wire to hold it shut.. we made a little hook to connect the sides and she is the only one that knows how to open it... another day, I spent trying to connect her to the world... there is internet there, but no home phones.. thank goodness for MagicJack.. and it is magical IF you can get it to work... it did work sometimes and my dad was ecstatic... we painted the pool area and the little pump house... I fixed the bed frame... we unclogged the outdoor shower pipes... and we sat around talking about all the things that needed to be done, but probably wouldn't be... 

Close to lunchtime, I would take a walk to the little store... buy a large Bohemia beer and a strawberry drink for Giorgio... and people would ask, "tu eres la hija de Dona Maria..la de los caballos, verdad?" (you are daughter of Maria..the one with the horses, right?) ... yep, that would be me... you would think I was 17 years old or something the way they would say it... but they were happy to know that Dona Maria had family visiting... and not that it is surprising to me, but my parents are very loved by the people in their little town... one of the days I was there, my dad became dehydrated.. he is 84 yrs old and well, doesn't really follow anyone's advice... thankfully my uncle lives in Costambar, also, and took him to the clinic in the other town... I stayed behind painting, after all, they were just going for a quick "rehydration"... I was left without a phone and my only charge was to make sure Rossi called the electrician the minute the electricity came back on so that he could fix the wall A/C... well, it was as if the radio had broadcast the news of my dad going to the clinic.. everyone kept walking over to ask how Don Pablo was.. and if I needed anything... they probably thought I was the most insensitive daughter on earth as I leisurely painted the blocks saying. "I suppose he's alright.. I don't have a phone...but if it were grave, my uncle would've come back for me..thanks for asking though..." .. oh the blank looks... but regardless of what they thought of me.. their gestures of love gave me great comfort... they felt like family...

Probably the best part of being there was Willy coming to get Giorgio every day to ride horses.. Willy has grown up with my mother and her horses.. I think he was 11 years old when he became "the horse whisperer" (as Giovanni & Giancarlo would call him..) he is 21 now... but, not really.. there is no diagnosis.. he is smart.. he is sweet.. he is bratty.. he goes out and he "courts" girls in their patios.. so respectful and loving... and he handles the horses so naturally... I see the potential in him... everyone sees the potential in him... but, he doesn't.... now that my mother is there more permanently though, I think she will teach him to see it... she's good at that.... anyway, the freedom my child felt riding on the beach and then a mountain and then the beach again was spectacular... he'd say, "this must be what heaven's like" ... sure, we were on vacation.. but the people we were with daily, were not on vacation.. this is how they live... free... they work a little, nap a little, play a little, talk a little... no wait, they talk A LOT... but its nice.. really nice... and they LET you know them...

So, I say to them... "Gracias por dejarte conocer.."  now that I know these people.. these God-filled, faithful, hopeful and loving people.. I have a totally different view of what is important in life... (not that I didn't already know..) ... but they confirm it... I could go on and on about them individually, Carlos, Rossi & Willy (the ones closest to my parents) ... each one's life told to me as we sat smoking cigars with my dad on the patio.. but told to me with happiness and pride.. all that they do, they do for their families... they do for the people that they love... and they love so easily...  I will carry all that they taught me in my heart always because..  "me trajeron mucha alegria con mi visita" ...

With every encounter that you have in your life.. with every person you meet... and with every person you already know... may you always bring them happiness.. may you let people know you.. shine your heart-light... spread love... through your words and actions, let people know that they are loved beyond measure and cherished blessings to the world ... be the blessed person God intends for you to be... 

May you be blessed and may others be blessed by you... this is my heartfelt wish for you today.... 

With love,

Elena

Beginning

Hello from my heart to yours....

"The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings."  

                                                      David Weinbaum, the new voice of a conservative America 

Well... here we go again with the first days of school.... some of us comforting our children... some of us thanking God that summer is over... some of us worrying.. some of us celebrating... I think I did a little of each yesterday... having just returned from the Dominican Republic, I was definitely comforting Giorgio as he didn't even want to hear the word "school" .. he was angry that summer was over.. and as if it were my fault completely, I was called the "meanest" mama in the world at least 17 times... so I found myself  thanking God that summer is over.... I left him slouched down in the chair and I began to worry a little.. and then, as I walked back home thinking of how much work I was going to be able to do with him in school again.. well... I was celebrating.... lol... 

Our lives seem to follow a calendar of "beginning" again with every new school year (whether we have children or not) ... everything seems to take on a different motion.. a different vibration... vacations are over .. the laziness of long summer days are gone.. the traffic patterns change..  work schedules change .. etc... it seems like the perfect time to seize every opportunity as new ideas and inspirations come our way so that we can prepare to harvest all those glorious things in the Autumn... we should be gentle with ourselves though... think of how the children are starting a whole new year of their lives and remember back to when you were in school... the feelings of happiness and excitement, apprehension and fear... fortunately, everyone was having similar feelings and old friends helped us through and new friends helped us through and we survived... most of us look back at our school days with great fondness.. "beginning" again was effortless really... it was life in motion.. it should always be so effortless... .

We all know the there is an intense energy when we are beginning something new... I remember when I was a teacher, how exciting it was to prepare the classroom for the first day... how I wanted everything to be just perfect and inviting and peaceful for when the students walked in... and I remember the expressions on the little people's faces.. some would come in and hug you as if you were their only teacher ever.. and others would do as my own child did.. a half-wave of the hand and feet dragging all the way to the desk and plop down... I remember now as I am writing this that when I was teaching, every day was like a new beginning... oh those 21+ personalities a teacher has to work with daily... hmmmmm....(come back, Dory)... topic of another blessing ....let me wrap this one up.....

The energy of beginning something new.. (that's where I was)......... absorb this energy and send it forth to others.... be a joyous one...  offer love from this space of joy....  inspire those around you...  give them the deep and lasting spiritual tools to help them.. .  gifts such as these are from God and they are given to us to share....   In God's world there is enough love, enough money, enough joy for all...  God asks you to give out of the fullness of your being....  God loves you...  do not be afraid of "beginning" anything... embrace every challenge with love, hope and faith... every "beginning" gets you closer to becoming the blessed person God intends you to be.. honor the light within you and share it with others so they are not afraid of "beginning" either... 

Use the beginning of the school year as an excuse, if you will, to make it a grand and glorious time - a time of opportunity, growth, and greater ability to exist in the truth of God's love... with each "beginning", your life will become richer ...

 

and for the teachers and children... I offer this prayer today:

 

Infinite Spirit of God, open the hearts and minds of the teachers..that they may see our children as individuals .. each unique and beautiful children of God..... that they demonstrate faith, hope and love in the children's ability to learn ... give them patience and understanding... help them to always feel the excitement of these "beginning" school days throughout the whole year.... open the hearts and minds and ears of the children... so that they feel the love and openly receive all the wonderful things that their teachers will be teaching them... give them patience and understanding with one another.. help them to embrace every school day with hope and joy  ... thank You, God, for blessing this "beginning" of a new adventure in teaching and in learning... Amen.

 

May your day be blessed with all things good,

With love,

Elena

p.s. when I picked Giorgio up he said, "Mama, it was the best day ever!!!... well, except for Spanish class...lol" ... (I think he was a little happier to return this morning..)  :-)

All Kinds of Love

Hello from my heart to yours...

"There are all kinds of love in this world, but never the same love twice." 
                                                                                            F. Scott Fitzgerald

... and isn't that the most fabulous thing you've ever read? I just found it on a "post-it" note while cleaning out my car... One of my childhood friends posted that quote a while back and I simply fell in love with it so I jotted it down... he was never really my "friend" growing up.. so shy, beautiful, sweet, and too nice of a boy to hang out with..lol... but he'll text me now (35 years after we first met) and say, "just checking in on you, mon ami..hope all is well" and it sure does make my heart smile...

Anyway, at first read, the quote probably provokes feelings of romantic love for most of us... but it goes so much deeper than that... since today is my first born son's birthday, my thoughts went more to the love I have for my children.. it's been 3 years since Giovanni left to live with his father and study abroad.. I wrote a blessing for him when he left using the quote, "If you cannot be a poet, be the poem.  ~David Carradine, American Actor.. best known for "Kung Fu" ... and I can tell you that back then, I thought he was only the poem.. today, at 17.. he is a poet as well... when I wrote to tell him that I was going to send money weekly for his birthday because I can't afford to send it all at once..he replied, "whatever you can Mama.. I know you would give me the world since you gave me life.." ooooh..just about melted my heart... 

Having grown up in a large family, there were always matters of who was my mother's "favorite" ... we'd go on and on about that (and sometimes still do..lol.).. my mother would always say that we'd realize there are no favorites once we had children of our own.. and she was so right... all my boys think they are my "favorite".. I love them differently in all kinds of ways.. some people say that I love Giovanni the most because of the delicate way he came into the world at 29 weeks and weighing only 864 grams... but I just respond.. "no.. I have just loved him the longest.." ... and then, other people say I love Giancarlo the most because he is so free and spiritual and the most like me in his hippie ways... but I just say, "no.. but he might love me the most" ... and then, other people say I love Giorgio the most.. so full of life.. an old soul with such thought-provoking conversation..and so incredibly hilarious as he lives in the spectrum... but I just say, "no, I just like to travel the rainbow with him.." .... they are all soooooo different.. and because of this, each love me differently.. one thing most people agree on is that all my boys are madly in love with me...lol... and why not? I am, after all,  the first woman they have ever loved... anyway... you see? "there is never the same love twice..." 

Those of you that have been with me for the last 6 years know how in love with loving I am... how I so desire to love everyone in my life..whether family, friend, co-worker or a person I have only exchanged emails with on this blessing list... everyone has the ability to touch my heart and what I strive for is to touch theirs in some little way as well... of course, I believe that first and foremost, I have to love God.. I believe He is the ultimate source of LOVE.. He is LOVE... then, I have to love myself so that, in turn, I can love others...  Love is all there is really.. it's the foundation we build upon in order to live our lives as the blessed people God intends us to be.. with LOVE at the base of our lives, there is no other way we can go but up, up, up to the highest place of love...heaven...

Alright then... tangent, tangent, tangent... so, I leave you with this prayer affirmation:

"I am blessed. I am a blessing to others. I am love. I love all of my brothers and sisters in all kinds of ways because there is never the same love twice. I am an example of LOVE for all the world to witness. Please use ME, God, as a beacon of LOVE and LIGHT so that this prayer be my truth always. Amen"

.. LOVE and be LOVED in return... you are a blessing to the world,
I love you,
Elena

Breakdowns

Hello from my heart to yours....
 
"Sometimes a breakdown can be the beginning of a kind of breakthrough, a way of living in advance through an ordeal that prepares you for a future of radical transformation."     Cherrie Moraga, Playright
 
 
Well... that's interesting... a breakdown... a societal taboo ... so, we tend to fight it... usually it happens because we hold back our emotions for such a long period of time that when they are finally bursting at the seams.. when they are flooding our bodies and consuming us, we stop functioning.... It usually takes us by surprise.. while we're driving to or from work or watching a movie or even looking at a beautiful full moon... our feelings just release themselves and we have little control over them... it doesn't matter what the catalyst was that drove us to a much needed catharsis... it's done and we usually feel better...
 
Most of what society dictates is that we shouldn't have these breakdowns... they're a sign of weakness.. boys especially are told not to cry at a very young age because it isn't manly... and when girls grow up surrounded by brothers, they aren't allowed to cry either.. so they become tough and cry in hiding so they don't get teased... it's such a taboo sometimes, that people do not even know how to react to someone who comes to them in the middle of a breakdown... it scares them...
 
More and more, I am beginning to realize that we may actually need little breakdowns every so often... it's important that we allow it to happen, rather than fight it or try to shut down... wherever we are when it happens, we need to let our feelings out... naturally, the ideal place would be in the arms of someone who loves us, but that's not always feasible and maybe, regardless of the love, the person doesn't know how to handle it either... I have found that the shower is the best place to cry... tears get lost in the water and when I'm done (usually when the hot water runs out), I come out refreshed... cleansed in so many ways...
 
Now..I am not saying that having breakdowns is wonderful... in the perfect world, we would make plans to process our emotions regularly so that we never have a breakdown.. talking about your feelings is the best way to avoid it... perhaps you can make a date to eat lunch weekly with your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend.. or a trusted friend .. maybe all you need is to keep a daily journal of what your feeling... or you can join a club or church ministry... I don't know.. not everything works for everybody.. it's a matter of making room in your life to tend to your emotions somehow... regularly..
 
Writing the blessings daily is what usually gets me through to the next moment... but since I haven't been writing, not the good nor the bad nor the indifferent feelings and emotions I have been having this summer, it might be an indication that I am on the verge of a breakdown...  yes, I'm not always the happy-go-lucky person people think I am... thankfully, summer is almost over and I am going away for 2 weeks to do absolutely nothing...  I need to re-energize.. re-group.. and do a lot of meditating and praying... I think my soul is craving it...  and I will return for the beginning of the school year... when this part of the world begins anew ... and you all know how I love "begin anew" blessings... for now though..let this be my prayer affirmation:
 
Infinite Spirit of God, I am blessed and I am a blessing. I release all my bottled up emotions to the heavens and put them in Your hands.  I have faith in You.  I have hope in You.  I love You.  There is no emotion that can consume me if I believe in You.  Let this be my truth always. Amen.
 
May you all find a way to release your emotions so that you can maintain a healthy balance in your minds and hearts.. and if you ever feel on the verge of a breakdown.. have it and be done with it.. because you are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to me...
 
May your afternoon be filled with all things good,
With Love,
Elena
 
Disclaimer:  This email address accepts "Venting" emails at anytime, but be advised that "Venting" emails will be deleted to ensure that emotions are released to God's hands immediately.

Show Up

Hello from my heart to yours....

"I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often."  Brian Tracy

I've never been a believer in "luck" really... The dictionary defines luck as 'believing that whatever happens, either good or bad, to a person in the course of events is due to chance, fate or fortune'... luck has nothing to do with anything operating for or against you, neither is it a matter of chance.. we make out own "luck" with being open to new experiences.. by "showing up" I think..... I've written about luck in the past because there is no religion.. not Catholicism, Judaism nor Buddhism.. that believe in luck.. if we believe in God, believing in luck only undermines God's role in our lives.... 

Anyway, so the quote isn't to focus on luck, it's to focus on "showing up" ... on Saturday night, I went out to meet a friend who is visiting from Texas.... we were simply going to dinner... when we arrived at the restaurant, it was transformed into the "Moulin Rouge".. I thought it was a private party and was worried that we had to go elsewhere, but fortunately, she had made reservations... she was expecting 10 people so we waited.. after 45 minutes, no one else showed and so we ordered... and during our fabulous meal, we enjoyed a show with Can-Can girls and girls with candelabra's on their heads, dancing on the bar... truly beautiful.... 

At dinner, she told my boyfriend and I that a friend had tickets for all of us to go to "The Donkey Show" ... and so.. that's what we did.. the four of us.... it was a spectacular event... while we were dancing, her friend came and put VIP bracelets on us... the husband turns to me and says, "that's what you get for "showing up" ... lol... of course, well into the night.. with each fabulous 70's song and dance that passed, I thought, "too bad our other friends didn't show up" ... and his words stuck with me all of yesterday and today... and I thought about all the many things in life we miss out on.. the many people we never get to meet.. the many opportunities we don't get because we fail to show up...

Don't misunderstand me... I'm not saying that we have to become like Elasti-Girl and show up to everything... we have to know what is important in our lives.. and who is important in our lives... I have a lot of out-of-town friends who come to visit and I do want to see them all, but sometimes it's impossible... I actually did miss a visit last week or so ago, which made me sad, but she'll be back and we will go on a "secret" breakfast.. lol... so, I'm looking forward to that.... anyway... "showing up" is similar to "being present" I guess... and maybe that's why I haven't been able to stop thinking about it...

Woody Allen said, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." .. well, there is more to it really.. and many people actually don't like his quote.. regardless, I read an article once about "showing up" ... it said that there are 4 basic ways to "show up"...  

(1) we "show up" to people.. we offer all of ourselves to people.. we give them our undivided attention.. it's the (when you walk into a room situation) where you say, "There you are!" .(instead of "Here I am")..it's offering help and maybe even stretching out of your comfort zone... it's "being present', if you will...
(2) we "show up" through people" ... this is the "I tell a friend, you tell a friend, and so on and so on..' ... for example, a Contractor I saw today said he had a mutual friend who had a violation and he asked if I could help him out.. well, I have him on the blessing list and so, of course I contacted him...it's networking one another... advertising for each other.. recommending people we know and trust... things like that...
(3) we "show up" for people when we go to something they are involved in to help give moral support maybe.. this is my favorite way of showing up... I have a great friend who is in a cover band... when he plays, he has (what he calls) his posse... yes, that's us... the group of supporters who "show up" for him... fun, fun, fun... this is, also, when you go to a church or temple event that another group is hosting to show that you recognize their efforts... for example, when the women's Emmaus ministry is having a retreat at our church, the Emmaus men come and set up the beds and rearrange furniture for them.. and vice-a-versa.. the women will decorate the rooms for the men's retreat...
(4) we "show up" for ourselves... as Shakespeare said, "This above all: To thine own self be true." ... This is the reason I like to work for myself I think.. I don't always take care of myself, but I do know what I need in my life to be able to function daily when I'm working... I know that I have to have certain days for certain building departments... I know that I have to have at least one "inspection" day a week so that I can be outside in the sun (or the rain)... I know I have to set aside a day of the week for a "brother" or a "friend" lunch.. (I know Wendy... I'm trying for Friday) .. and I know I need a "work-from-home" day... am I ever going to be a millionaire this way? probably not financially, but it's spiritually great for me... 

As usual, when I don't write as often, I go on and on and on...  sooooooo....  let me wrap this up by saying... "Show up" ... in one way or another try to "be present" in mind, body and soul for all of the blessed people in the world.... after all, God always "shows up" for us... the least we can do is "show up" for one another ... I think that in doing so, we are "showing up" for God right back.... 


....and with all of that said, I feel the need to apologize for not "showing up" for you all... for being absent in writing the blessings... for not being true to myself... writing these blessings has always helped me reflect on my own life and how I can better myself... I will try to do better... I will try to "show up" more often... if only just to remind you that you are all loved beyond measure and are cherished blessings to the world and me...


May you be blessed.  May others be blessed by you. This is my heartfelt wish to you.I love you,Elena