Giving

Hello from my heart to yours...

 

"What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other."       --George Elliot

One of the greatest habits you can develop is the habit of giving to others; freely and cheerfully giving as much and as often as you can.... and I am not saying to go out and spend tons of money and handing out gifts.... no, no, no...... give of yourself.... give of the joy you carry in your heart....

Probably the easiest way to give is through a smile... you can develop the habit of giving quickly if you just went around smiling at people.... then following through by maybe uttering the word "hello" .... super easy really...

This morning, I woke to the sounds of the birds singing outside my window... since I don't have the A/C on, and all the windows are open, it was like a symphony going completely through the house... as if the birds in the front yard were singing to the ones in the back yard ... it was just like a Disney movie.... I stayed in bed for about 10 minutes just listening... thanked God for giving me that beautiful song to start my day, and got up....

As I was preparing the coffee, Giorgio came into the kitchen quietly and said, "Mama, the birds are so happy today.....even Hunter has joined in the singing.." (Hunter is our little parakeet, who was indeed, chirping away..) and so is the trickling effect of joy... God gave us singing birds...which gave us joy and happiness... in the same way, when you give, the joyful energy you send out comes back in the most remarkable ways... don't concern yourself with how it will come back or even if it will... just be conscious of the joy that comes in giving of yourself.... And as you do, giving cheerfully, lovingly, openly and unconditionally, then the law of cause and effect will come into play and far more than you have given will be given back...

I am so blessed to belong to a vicious circle of "giving" .... I wake up to smiling boys who adore me (fortunately, they all wake up happy) ... when I drop of Giorgio, I am greeted by other smiling mothers and teachers... when I go to work, my co-workers practically scream "good morning" .. (they are the happiest people) ... when I visit job-sites, the workers are happy to see me and show me all that they have accomplished ... and when I visit the tenants, they hug me and welcome me inside and share coffee or soda with me... how can I NOT be happy? all the smiles and embraces I receive throughout my day, are gifts of one-self... absolutely free...

See how easy it is? Go out today and (if it doesn't come naturally to you) make a conscious effort to smile at everyone you see... no one is going to think you're crazy, they are going to love it and smile back.... even the ones that might think you're crazy, will walk away shaking their heads....smiling... hahaha.... so.....give smiles, give hugs, give love, give simple acts of kindness....give attention, give time, give understanding, give willingness, give a hand.. none of these things cost money .... giving is always, always, always beneficial to everyone and everything concerned.

Since you are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to the world, it is sooooo easy to give.... give, give, give... and you will receive, receive, receive ... what a blessing!

May your Tuesday be as terrific as you are....
With love,
Elena

Love the Earth

Hello from my heart to yours....

"Fields of wonder are the places God goes walking, I found them by mistake and I’ve trespassed."  Rod McKuen

Today is Earth Day... I probably should have written about it on Friday as most of the world spent the weekend giving back to the earth... but, it really just slipped my mind...  I would love to say that I did something, like clean up the Biscayne Bay, but I didn't... I do try to make a conscious effort to love the earth every day... anyway, I think we have these kind of "designated" days to remind people, who otherwise would not think twice about it, that we need to be aware of the things that affect our world.... 

I am a total nature girl... the dirtier I can get planting and re-planting my garden, the better I feel... I am a true tree-hugger... not just in that hippie connotation, but in that I will HUG a tree that looks like it is in distress and say, "grow tree, grow" .. I think this came from a cartoon my older boys used to watch.. maybe dragon-tales.. I'm not sure, but it stuck with us... why not? we should be able to feel the pain in nature... those of us who have been through natural disasters and have seen our trees uprooted, know how devastating it is.. I can't be the only one who has shed a tear for a lost mango or avocado tree... 

I have often felt as though I have been walking in the "fields of wonder" ... my brothers and I would spend countless hours roaming and exploring the land in Louisiana.... we always smelled of earth and hay and horses and goats and berries and rancid "coolie" water ... I would pick every weed flower there was and adorn myself with them... as teens, in Miami, we frequented "hidden valley" ... not sure if I could tell you where it is now, but all of our friends would go there to swim in a natural spring of sorts.. we learned how to swing from ropes and flip in the air and do back dives from the cliff... we were all so free... always barefoot and dark from the sun... then, as a young adult in New York, I left the city every weekend for Hunter Mountain.. never did that much skiing.. just loved hiking through the woods, following the little bubbling water sounds... always a creek beneath the snow and rocks.. and now, as an adult, my favorite escapes are to the ocean and/or camping... I feel that all my life thus far has been a "hike" of sorts.... to far fields I have gone, along the sea and above the hills and back again... always running on some new ground and learning that all those wondrous fields belong to God.. He gave us this beautiful earth... and it is our responsibility to take care of it.... to harm the earth in any way is to heap contempt on God... as Chief Seattle said, "The earth does not belong to man, we belong to the earth"  ... 

The following commercial "Crying Indian" aired in 1970... I was a little girl, but it had a huge impact on me... whenever I see people flinging things out of their car window, I "see" the Indian before my eyes... and it makes me so sad.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7OHG7tHrNM

So... I don't know where I was going with all this... preserve the earth... love the earth... thank God for all the flowers, trees, streams, rivers, oceans, mountains, valleys.. all of nature sustains us, trees create oxygen for us to breathe... rivers quench our thirst when we are parched.. flowers fill our nostrils with heavenly fragrances.. etc... the earth provides all that we need... and if you don't believe me, go outside and walk on the grass barefoot... lie down on it.. look up at the trees above you.. the leaves... beyond it the clouds and the sky... breathe in softly.. smell the yellow of the sun... I guarantee you that your spirit will feel the oneness with the earth... the oneness with God....

You are loved beyond measure and area cherished blessing to the world... love this world we live in...

May you be blessed with all things good,

with Love,

Elena

Promises and Deals

Hello from my heart to yours...

... I don't usually receive "topics" to write about from people, but a long time friend of mine asked me what I thought about those "promises or deals" we make with God .. you know the ones, "I will never drink again if You help me through this hangover, God" ... or how about, "I will not cut my hair if You get me out of this situation, God" .. (yeah, sounds ridiculous, but I have seen it)... how about the little "strings".. promises of what? until they fall off... yep, even I am guilty of that... I wore a string bracelet and wooden cross that was hand-made by the Carmelite nuns.. it was given to me when I was pregnant with G3... I was supposed to wear it until the string wore down and broke on it's own...and I did.. I never took it off... if I had to go to nice events, I simply wore a bigger bracelet over it to cover it.. anyway, it broke right after he turned 10... if you tied me in chains and threatened to torture me, I wouldn't be able to tell you what promise was supposed to be fulfilled... lol... probably because I do not believe in that kind of thing really.... 

I don't think we can make deals with God.... it isn't, "You do this for me, God and I will do this for You.."  God knows the outcome of those kind of empty "promises" and "deals" long before we make them to Him.... certainly, He knows that even if we recover from the hangover, we are going to drink again... and eventually, we have to cut our hair lest we are a modern-day Samson ... I don't know... let me reflect on this a minute... I feel like my kids with their SAT or FCAT writing "prompts" ... it's hard to randomly write on a topic someone gives you.....

okay... so , this is what I think... there is nothing to bargain for nor to ask for..  God knows best and I trust in Him... He made His promises to us and kept them... all He wants is for us to love Him.. we don't have to bribe Him, we only have to give Him our hearts and believe in Him... if we want to love Him in return, then it's really not even a deal.. it is an agreement.... love comes unbidden... we simply love... love is the leaven of life and it is all within us.. we are not just a party to love.. we ARE love.. so, the only "promise" or "deal" we can make with God comes from the First Commandment... 

Deuteronomy 6:-5 :"Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul and all thy might" .. this is the basic credo of  Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation is a mitzvah (religious commandment). ... The New Testament (Matthew 22:35-40) asserts that all morality flows from the "Great Commandment" , in which Jesus was reaffirming the teaching of the Torah using the same exact words... 

We are a month away from Shavu'ot...  and a month away from Pentecost... I read some really beautiful things about US.. WE, the children of One God, regarding these Holidays and how they Divinely connect us, but I am going to leave that for a blessing closer to those celebrations... however, I do want to say this.... since Shavu'ot is when God entered into a relationship with the Jews by giving them the Torah in written form... His original covenant with the chosen people ......... and Pentecost is when God established the New Covenant by writing in the hearts of those who would receive the Holy Spirit and follow the teachings of Jesus.... well then, maybe we can use this time to reflect on the only promise worth making to God... 

...Infinite Spirit of God, I know You love me... I promise to follow Your "Great Commandment" and love You with all my heart and all my soul and all my might... 

that's the deal... cross my heart... this is my truth...... Amen, Amen.... 

Remember that you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to the world... Love one another as God loves you....

I love you,

Elena

Interlocking

 

Hello from my heart to yours....

 

"The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. 
His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. 
His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts 
and finds no other inspiration."
~ Pearl S. Buck

 

Have you ever seen a sequoia tree? Chances are that since most of us on this email list are in Florida... we have not... These trees tower hundreds of feet in the air.. the tallest as of last measurement in 2008 being 397 ft.... they can withstand intense environmental pressures.  Lightning can strike them, fierce winds can blow, and fires can rage around them.. and yet, they remain firm and grow ever stronger through the trials... One of the secrets to their strength lies below the surface.... they reach out and interlock their roots with the sequoias around them.. each becomes empowered and reinforced by the strength of the others.

 

This little secret of the sequoia tree is the key to maintaining strong and loving relationships... people who interlock their lives in a network of other strong relationships can increase their chances of surviving the fiercest of storms.  We must all pursue Godly advice, healthy friendships and mentors of all kinds....

 

Fortunately, my life is interlocked with several groups... With this whole social networking phenomenon, I have come to realize that no matter how long it's been since I have seen a childhood friend... the love that was there 40 years ago.. is still there... the memories we all have of each other.. the fondness.. the energy we all shared... the good and the bad... all twisted and knotted together in our roots... have sustained years of separation.... we have unknowingly empowered each other to grow into adulthood.. each individually tall and strong... and yet each connected by our childhood.... but, now as adults, some of those roots have reached for others in a marvelous way and we are interlocked today more than ever... 

 

For 10 years now, I have come to know an incredible interlocking of faith with my Emmaus Sisters and Brothers in Christ... what brings us together is a 7 mile walk... and our belief that Jesus always walks among us even if we do not recognize him at first... many of us are not friends outside of this ministry, but what is constant is that when one Sister or Brother is in need... whether we know them personally or not... our interlocking roots are so powerful that we unite in prayer... we share in each others joys and sorrows.. and the amazing thing is that we are not limited to our own parishes... an Emmaus Sister or Brother is your sibling in Christ no matter where they are or what church they belong to.... 

 And just one more example... our families... I have written about my siblings many times... while we are all interlocked in one way or another... most of you know that of the 5, I have one that is interlocked so tightly that we stand next to one another in the forest... reaching out to the others... there's no rhyme or reason for it... it just is...

 

We have often heard the quote by John Donne...

No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main;....  

 

And this is it... on and on I ramble to say this:  extend your roots out... reach for those who will help you stand strong and tall like the sequoia and who you can help to stand taller and stronger... start at home.. with your spouse.. with your boyfriend/girlfriend...  with your children.. with your siblings... interlock yourselves.. pray together... create unbreakable roots... connect with your friends... your school communities... your synagogue ... your church... but be ever weary of people and groups that are detrimental to you  because they are out there reaching for you, too... have faith and trust in God ... because you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to me...

 

Hey... guess what? I just realized that all of you receiving and reading this email are interlocked, too... oh that's soooo awesome... see how easy it is...

 

May you always hear another's heart... and be able to interlock with that heart forever....

and may your weekend be blessed with all things good,

Elena

Shine Your Light

Hello from my heart to yours....

‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?

You are a child of God, small games do not work in this world. For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. We were born to express the glory of God that lives in us. It is not in some of us, it is in all of us. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission for others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others.’

                                                                                                                                                                   Marianne Williamson in Return to Love: Reflections on a Course in Miracles

Your light is yours to use.  The more you shine your light in the spirit of peace and love, the better you will feel... and the better you feel, the more everything and everybody around you feels and responds in kind.  Every time you turn on your light, it changes the behavior of everyone and everything that comes in contact with your radiance.... conditions and circumstances improve instantly as you radiate your light from the inside out.

This past Saturday, my friends hosted a fundraiser for the "Florida Breast Cancer Foundation" at "The Fish House"... A Musical Stampede hosted by "Maverick Music" (one of my favorite "lights") ... there were some established bands and duos..and some guest singers from other bands... and some very talented "wanna-be's" ... everyone was welcome to get on the stage... it was a room on fire with light... it was a chain-reaction of "light" ... when you have someone like "Mav", who isn't scared to share his light, welcoming people to the party, it gives every newcomer the permission to let go and shine their light as well.... I know you have all been at a party like this.. or even walked into a seminar or workshop or your synagogue or church and have felt it...that glowing peace...  but maybe I can use a childhood story, that all of us know, to give a better example....

Remember the story of Charlotte's Web ? ... poor Wilbur is the runt of the litter, but with Fern's love, he grows to be very big.... the sheep keeps telling Wilbur that the farmer is going to kill him, but Wilbur does not want to die... Charlotte comes up with an idea... with the help of the other farm animals, they come up with words to describe Wilbur..  and she spins.. SOME PIG ; RADIANT; TERRIFIC; and HUMBLE ... in the end, by Charlotte shining her light (her talent of webbing words), all the farm animals were shining their lights as well by helping... and Wilbur's light was shining because his fear of death was gone... and when they went to the State Fair... the farmer's light was shining because he had a radiant, terrific and humble pig... and the town's people's lights were shining, too.... because they were proud to have Wilbur as their Town pig..... and so on.....

See how it works? it's a "LIGHT" chain reaction...

Affirm:  I am blessed.  I am brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. I am radiant, terrific and humble. I will shine my light brightly and I will see the light shining in others. I will liberate myself from all my fears because I am a child of God and I have faith, hope and love in my heart. I am loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to the world. Let this be my truth. Amen.

May you spend the rest of this marvelous Monday (and everyday thereafter) shining your light so that others may shine their lights, too.... imagine what a bright and loving world this will be ... because we are SOME PEOPLE !

You are loved ...

Elena

Is it Morning?

Hello from my heart to yours.....

An old Hasidic rabbi asked his pupils how to tell when night ended and the morning began (which is the time for certain holy prayers).
"Is it when you see an animal in the distance and know whether it's a sheep or a dog?" asked one pupil.
"No," the rabbi answered.
"Is it when you can look at a tree and can tell whether it's a fig tree or a pear tree?" asked another.
"No," the rabbi answered again.
After a few more tries, the pupils asked, "Then tell us, what is it?"

"It is when you can look upon the face of any man or woman and know that they are your sister or brother. Until then it is still night."
                                                                                                                                                                                     

Daniel Gottlieb,

 taken from Learning From the Heart.

Is it still night in your life? Or has morning come?

These days, we never really take the time to "look upon the face" of others.. we wake up in the morning in a rush to get everyone on their way to wherever they have to go.. perhaps not even saying "good morning" or "have the best day ever" .. not every family does morning prayers together or evening prayers for that matter... I am even guilty of skipping them sometimes, but I do find that I am always looking upon the faces of my children... and they do look upon mine.. we have those secret greetings and sayings that bind us.. recently, we added "Sat Sri Akaal" which means "God is the ultimate truth" .. oh, we so love that...

Anyway, morning always comes for us... but it is an especially special time for me and my youngest.  Because of the spectrum world we live in, we have to follow the same routine or all chaos ensues.. so, I get up and make coffee.. I turn on the light in his room.. I drink some coffee and think about the day I have ahead of me..... I pray. I meditate. I praise God. (and sometimes, I write a blessing..) I go tell him, "Rise and shine, the day is Divine.. you need to get up Principito"  (or some other greeting that I know will make him smile) .... I make his eggs and toast and set it on the counter.. I walk back to his room again and make sure he is dressing.. he comes to eat.. I stand beside the counter and play "words with friends" as he eats.. and then......... I look upon him... I love to look at his long eyelashes... his freckled face.. the way his hair stands up...the way he chews.. the way he drinks... so much so, that many times he will look up from his plate and ask, "why do you stare at me like that, Mama?" .... I say, "because you are my cutie" .. and he laughs a little and says I'm silly... it's probably when he is at his calmest and sweetest.

This month is "Autism Awareness Month" ... the neurologist says he has Aspergers... sometimes, I disagree... his brothers always disagree.. they believe he is just a brat that wants his way all the time... yeah, I can see that, too...  none-the-less, he is special this little boy.. he is so loving... it is easy to see God in him when you are one-on-one with him... but when he is angry... well, watch out... Studies show that an estimated 1 out of 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States.. the numbers are probably greater, if you ask me, simply because so many, like my child, are diagnosed with every other thing, but an Autism Spectrum Disorder...  usually they just get an ADHD or ODD diagnosis and then, fall through the cracks... when people see this child in his "wild" state, they do believe he is just bratty or crazy or worse, that I am a horrible parent.. they do not take the time to "look upon his face" and see that he is their brother...

We are all guilty of this at one time or another... we just don't have time for it... we walk right past loved ones and strangers alike without stopping to "look upon their faces"...  I am fortunate to be able to "see" so many people as my sisters and brothers... I think I wrote a blessing once about how we say, "I C U" to one another .... and we do.. we do feel the connection, the energy, the peace... we see one another's reflections in ourselves... we see one another as "sisters and brothers" ... yeah, I know, sounds so way out there... so, let me just wrap this up since I am tangent writing now...

All I really wanted to say is that we are all children of God and it should always be morning for us... how wonderful if we could always sing ...

Morning has broken, like the first morning. 
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird. 
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning, 
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word.  

May you always "look upon the faces" of others and see your sisters and brothers... may you always love one another beyond measure ... may you be blessed and may others be blessed by you... you are a cherished blessing to the world and me.

May your day be filled with morning after morning...

With love,
Elena

Affirmations

Hello from my heart to yours....
 
"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of  thoughts we wish to dominate our lives."  
                                                                                                        Henry David Thoreau

.. That's the reason affirmations work.... It is the same thought said silently or spoken out loud... every thought we entertain repeatedly today will shape what will come tomorrow... It is so simple and yet a bit difficult, as well because some thoughts we may want to convert into affirmations are not phrased properly and may sound more like selfish "wants" ... these days, with so many people in search of ways to become more spiritual, the are endless resources... I love to read and learn... I take bits and pieces from everything I read because not everything I read is what I believe, but I mold it to fit me and my belief in One God... He is who makes things happen, if I believe and let Him.... 
 
One of my absolute favorite books is called "The Game of Life (and How to Play It)" by Florence Scovel Shinn...it was first publish in 1925... but some people are way ahead of their time in their thoughts and people just don't "get" it and find them "far-out" .... anyway, it is full of stories and examples on how to use positive affirmations; how to envision things happening positively; how to believe that you are all deserving of only good things; how to accept these things and be thankful for them... I have memorized many of them.. and I have learned to pray and affirm by using this book as a reference guide..... it does work... especially if you believe.. because if you truly believe and have faith that the Infinite Spirit of God will give you all that is your in your Divine Right, you will receive it...
 
The simple rules of the game of life are fearless faith, nonresistance and LOVE... the goal is to be freed from the things that hold you in bondage and bring into manifestation the Divine Design of life... health, wealth, love and perfect expression... and so again, I tell you.... everything is possible with faith, hope and love.... have faith in God, yourselves and one another.. have hope in God, yourselves and one another... but most of all, LOVE God, yourselves and one another... and you will be able to create glorious pathways with your thoughts...... affirm and demand this today with me....
 
"Infinite Spirit of God, open the way for the Divine Design of my life to manifest; I am ever thankful and acknowledge that is a gift from You... let my light shine; let the genius within me be released; let me see clearly the perfect plan.. for there is a place that I am to fill, which no one else can fill; there is something which I am to do, which no one else can do... I am under grace and I am loved beyond measure.. I am a cherished blessing to the world..."

May your day be blessed with all things good,
With love,

Elena