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A Treasured Christmas Memory

A Treasured Christmas Memory









Several years ago while serving as a Bed and Breakfast hostess, I was there over the Christmas holidays as many people were coming to ski over the Christmas break in the little mountain village of Angel Fire, New Mexico. I was feeling a little lonesome and "lost" as all of my family was far far away and I was "alone". In my prayers I asked that the Christmas story come alive for me....knowing that that would make my heart feel better.

A couple of days before Christmas, a family of four came to the B&B....the father's name was Joseph, the mother's name was Mary, the 6 year old son's name was Benjamin, and the 2 year old daughter's name was Sarah. I remarked when they registered that how wonderful it was to have Mary and Joseph and a baby at Christmas. They all smiled. Later that evening when sitting in front of the fire, the mother told me that she took care of small children at their church and the father said that he felt like he herded sheep....he was a principal at a local school. I thought...'Isn't this interesting? I have a shepherd here at Christmas!'

The day before Christmas another couple came through the mountain door and the woman had the most beautiful blond curly hair. I smiled at her and said, "Oh Look....we have an Angel visiting us!" She smiled and told me that they had stopped in Santa Fe on the way up to this mountain community and her husband had bought her the necklace she had on.....a plethora of angels. She told me that that was an unusual ting for them both to purchase but felt on this trip that it would be the 'right' thing to do.

Christmas eve evening I looked out the door of the B&B and there were Elk in the yard.....and deer and even a small black bear. They all seemed to be peering in the windows.

I looked out into the night sky and above us were the brightest stars. Living that high up in the atmosphere it appeared as if the stars were right next to me. I could clearly see the North Star which has been the guiding light for many many travelers since the beginning of time.

I was truly inspired that I had Mary, Joseph, a baby, a shepherd, an Angel, animals and stars.....I felt so "honored" that the Christmas story was indeed coming alive for me.

Later that evening, a truck drove into the yard and I couldn't figure out who it could be. All of the guests had arrived that I was expecting. Out of the truck came 3 men and slowly made their way to the door. I opened the door and asked, "May I help you?"

One of them simply replied, Susie....it's I, Colby. What a treat that was for me....Colby and two of his friends from college came to visit. They came in and couldn't take their eyes off of the baby. They were so enamoured by her. So I had 3 Wise Men who came to adore the baby.

After everyone retired for the evening, I sat by the fire for a long, long time. I wondered how many times the Christmas story had evidenced itself to others....not just the original one. I wondered why I was so blessed to receive this one....and I wondered how many other times that history repeated itself.....that the Bible was a "living" testimony....not simply an historical one.

I sat quietly and slowly let the embers of the fire extinguish themselves. I felt like God had come to me and made a visit......Even though I was missing my family, I truly felt blessed.

And that was the miracle!

My Onkel Buster

My Onkel Buster

Today I'm thinking about my Uncle Buster. (Onkel = Uncle in Norwegian) I have so many fond memories of him that just tickle me.

One of my earliest is when he took me and my three brothers out for ice cream at a drive-in restaurant in his brand-new Thunderbird. This would have probably been in the late '50s. Of course with all four of us being small and some of us being rambunctious some of the ice cream spilled and oh how angry Onkel Buster got! That probably made him decide then and there not to have any kids!

Through the years he often spent Thanksgiving dinner with us or Christmas dinner. He didn't marry until much later in life so he was alone so often. I remember that it always "bothered" me that he didn't have any presents to open on Christmas. I noticed in my youth that he liked western novels so in my early teen years I gifted him a western novel each Christmas so he'd have something for his Christmas. Year after year the routine stayed the same.

One Christmas when I was in college he came over one Christmas morning with a record stereo and told my dad to give it to me. When my dad completed that task his remarks to me were, "Look like that book deal finally paid off!" Somehow it didn't matter to me.....I only wanted him to have something for Christmas.

My Onkel Buster was a World War II hero. He received the Silver Star for Valor and Bravery and many other medals for his service to his country. He served all 4 years under General Patton and rarely talked about his experiences there...but we all knew it.

He died nearly 30 years ago when he was crossing some railroad tracks and was hit by a train. It was a shock to all of us. When my dad went to clean out his mobile home, Dad looked in his safe. In there he found not stocks or bonds or monies but rather pictures of Onkel Buster with each of his girlfriends. There were many, many. Of course, my favorite was the one in that stack that was me with him when I was about a year old. It brings a smile to my face and to my heart, just to think of that.

Since he died I have had several dreams about him. Interesting enough he has always been behind some kind of barrier. One time he came to my yard but wouldn't come in it. He stood outside the fence and in his hands was a guitar. He said, "I have a present for you." I recognized it as an "Ovation" guitar but he clearly said it was an "obsession" guitar. I've thought a lot about that dream over the years and have wondered about its meaning. I've wondered about all of my obsessions" and about how much I love guitar music...playing and listening.

A few years ago I dreamt that Onkel Buster and my grandmother (his mother) were standing on the other side of a creek, smiling and waving at me. That left me with such a good feeling for a long time.

This morning in my waking dream I felt him beside me as I was sleeping. He touched my shoulder and said very clearly, "It's time for you to come now." It was so real that when I opened my eyes I looked around the room to see if he was here in my bedroom.

Now I'm wondering where is it that I'm supposed to "go to" and what is the time that dream is talking about.

Maybe my Onkel Buster will let me know.....soon!

Where There Is Despair, Hope

Where There Is Despair, Hope






I often think about Abraham Lincoln's life. More than that I wonder about it. I think about instances that I've read where he was in total despair because of all of the troops that were losing their lives, particularly the very young men. I think about my great grandpa who shook his hand after the battle of Antietam and I can only imagine the look in Lincoln's eye as he surveyed this young lad of only 14. I think about the despair he felt for the war, for the casualties on so many levels. I think about the despair he must have surely felt when he lost all of those 14 elections. I think about the despair he was noted for in the loss of his young son and his despair when his wife lost her senses. He was a man of deep despair....and for good reason!

And in spite of this he went out to the troops and gave them hope. He shook their hands and thanked them for their service. He often told his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, that things would turn out "all right". He was known to have given Ulysses Grant much hope in his government positions as Grant had little of it in his stockade. I think about the hope that he afforded our country....that he afforded slaves, that he offered to the multitudes. In his second inaugural address he attests, "With malice toward none".....offering hope for peace of mind and peace within each person's being.

He had much despair, and he brought much hope.

I've thought about the times when I have been visiting that place of despair. When i was first diagnosed with diabetes, it took me a while to get used to the idea and despair was my constant companion for a bit. When I was divorced, I lived so much in despair that I thought my life would always be that way. When my sons left to live with their dad, my despair knew no bounds. I used to walk into my apartment, close the door, and fall to the floor in tears and stay there hour after hour. But then, miraculously hope was restored each time. Each time, some one or something reminded me that all is well....that life goes on and it goes on gloriously.

I've thought about when I've noticed others in despair, how I have offered hope and kindness. I thought about hos much it has eased others' minds and helped them to "go on".

What a good thing to do, to offer hope. How important it is to each person's well being. What a good thing to do.

Where There Is Doubt, Faith

Where There Is Doubt, Faith



In thinking about doubt today, I looked at the many people sitting around me in the cafeteria and thought about what they "doubted". I thought perhaps they doubted their futures, what it might hold or not hold. I thought that perhaps they doubted the goodness of the planet, feeling the dread of wars and tragedies. I thought that perhaps they had the doubt of the Creator--if there was one, what He/She affected in their lives, and what their relationship was with him/her. Then I thought the biggest doubt would be that when people doubt themselves.

Then I thought about what I doubted. Oh boy! It occur ed to me that I have doubted myself so many many times and that I was "taken care of" by the universe....by God. I have doubted love in my life....whether I was loved and whether I could love. I thought that my life was full of many instances of doubt.

So this line of the prayer states let me sow faith. Let me encourage, convince others that they have worth, that they are worthwhile, that their future is in good hands. Let me endow myself with the peace of knowing that all is right with my world and let me be glad in it. Let me have faith and let it take the place of doubt.

That, I think, is the key. It's not that doubt and faith are a part of our lives. That is a given...but the process of changing one to the other is the element of joy in this equation. Just knowing that we CAN change.

Isn't that miraculous?

Where There Is Injury, Pardon

Where There Is Injury, Pardon

In thinking about this segment of St. Francis' prayer, I had some "awakenings" for sure!

First, I thought about how the many times I have felt 'injured' by another. Since I was very young I have had the perception that members of my family, my friends and the world at large had done things to hurt me. I thought about the times I felt like my mom and dad were cruel and heartless. I thought about the times I felt unworthy, ashamed, and 'less than' stemming from their words or their actions. I thought about my sons and how I have felt 'stricken' by some of their words and actions. I thought about some of my bosses and how I have felt 'preyed' upon by their words and actions. I thought about loves in my life and how I have felt devastated by some of their words and actions. I thought about all of the health concerns I have had for the last 40 years and how my body has felt invaded and taken advantage of.

I have felt so much the victim in sooooooooo many ways. And 58 years of feeling 'victimized' have certainly helped me understand the word of injury.

And then when I think of the word, pardon, it speaks of forgiveness. It speaks to me of letting things go. It speaks to me of NOT being a victim but rather of being victorious in my feelings and my actions. It speaks to me of peace, pure and holy peace.

THEN I thought about all the times I have injured another. My words and actions ;have sometimes been unkind and hurtful. In all my misgivings about my mother, it occur ed to me how many times I must have hurt her, disappointed her, frustrated her. I thought about the times I acted 'less than' and how it hurt my dad. I thought about the things I have done that have hurt my sons, both in word and in action. I thought about person after person after person that I have been unkind in my thinking, in my words, and in my actions.

This part was much harder than thinking about the wrongs of others. Sometimes in doing this thinking, I had to change the avenue of thought because it was still so hurtful to me in thinking about what I had done, and what I have left undone.

And then, pardon comes into the equation. Pardoning myself is such a big act. I once heard that forgiveness was in essence like feeling and acting as if no harm had ever been done. So this is quite a trip!

I wouldn't say that I've done this completely.....some self things are just hard to forgive, but I have done it in part. I realize that I am just who I am, no more and no less. I understand that I'm doing the best I can....at any given moment. I treasure the instances that I feel that forgiveness of myself and I am filled with peace, with joy, with love.

The trick, I think, is to get to that point instantaneously. To forgive others and myself the second it happens. I'm practicing that concept. I'll keep you posted on its progress!

Whenever there is injury, may I be quick to pardon.

Where There Is Hatred, Let Me Sow Love

Where there is hatred, Let me sow love.

I love this line of his prayer.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Now where is there hatred? Where is it lurking? Where does it exist? I suppose we can picture many places in our world where there is hatred....like war-torn countries, like places where there is gang violence, like where crime and violence seem to linger. But I propose to you that St. Francis did not say look to other places for hatred....he said let me sow love so I think he meant for us to look at the hatred that is closer to our lives.

What do I hate? I hate it when I feel taken advantage of....I hate it when someone is unkind to me....I hate it when people make fun of me or of others at that some one's expense....I hate it when it feels like my world is crashing in around me. I just hate those times.

So the next line says, "Let me sow love." What does that mean? How do you 'sow' love? I think St. Francis was speaking as if sowing in a field...planting seeds, scattering seeds, disseminating seeds.....Seeds of love. Hmmmm What kind of seeds are those?

Is it merely "good feelings"? Is it something that makes us feel good by doing it? Is it a decision to love, to care for, to nurture. Perhaps it is all of these things. When I am sowing love, I concentrate on forgiveness. I concentrate on someone else's needs, rather than my own. I concentrate on what bring peace to the situation. Sowing love is not an easy task and yet it is the easiest thing in the whole wide world to do! Be gentle, be kind, be accepting, be loving. Let it come from within and proceed out. Let it be.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Lord, Make Me An Instrument of Your Peace

I always like to look at statues and pictures of St. Francis of Assissi. He is usually holding a small animal in his arms and just his essence transmits the feeling of peace. I committed the prayer of St. Francis of Assissi very early in my life and it holds not only peace for me but also holds challenges.

The first line, "Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace" is such a telling first line. I think that if we "got" this first line, we wouldn't need any others! Let me dissect it.....

Lord......This to me tells of St. Francis' acknowledgement of a surpreme being in his life. And it is like he surrenders to that. That sets up the feeling of peace by the first word!

Make....Again, St. Francis is surrendering to this surpreme being by acnnoldeging the power this being has....Like, it would take a surpreme being to "make" us do something.

Instrument....Whether a guitar, a harp, a french horn, a pen, a notebook.....the instruement has a purpose. It is something useful. It is something that everyone can acknowledge and recognize. It is something of value. In St. Francis' prayer, he asks to a make me an instrument of peace. Let me be useful, let me have purpose, let me be played or used for the wonderment of peace. What an appropriate word he chose!

Thy....Acknowledging that God is the supreme being and it is His peace that St. Francis wants to propegate. Just using the word "thy" puts us in another realm, the realm of a place that is serene.

Peace....We have heard this word thousands of times but I wonder if we really have done much thinking about it. Is peace just the absence of war and troubles? Does peace mean no struggling, no fear, no heartbreak? I think not. I think peace includes all of the pain and suffering in the world and then rises above it, changing it from a negative thing to a positive thing. I used to belong to a group of women that included in opening ceremony...."Let us transmute the dust into stardust". I think this is an important part of peace.....transmujting or changing dust into stardust, sorrow into joy, pain into gladness. Whew if that is what St. Francis was thinking, he left us a big challenge.

How do we do that?

The Peach

The Power of the Peach




I have been fascinated by the Peach and its power. Power, you ask? How can a peach have power???? Allow me to relay to you just some of the ways that the peach has an indescribable, monumental power. Read on!

When I was 8 years old I took a peach pit and planted it in our backyard....and of course, I never told anyone about doing that. Then the next spring my father tried to figure out what was growing in our backyard. Naturally I forgot all about planting it. Some company came by and Dad asked what it was that was growing, The man was from somewhere in the South and he said it was a PEACH tree! And then I remembred planting it the summer before. I remembered the little ceremony I had to bless it and asked to grow. AND I WAS AMAZED! I didn't know that the peach would survive harsh Wyoming winters and then come up in the spring! It even had some 30+ leaves. I thought then how powerful the peach was. I wondered about that for a long, long time.

In the summer when fruit was less expensive, my favorite thing for breakfast and for desert was peaches and cream. Mom would buy the peaches, picking out the very best ones and very often she peeled them and sliced them. Then we used REAL cram and a couple spoonfuls of sugar. It was always my very favorite. What I liked was not ony the flavor, but it seemed as if everyone in our family of 6 was happy when we were eating peaches and cream. I thought about how powerful the peach was as it turned people's faces into smiles and it made our home more serene. I wondered about that for a long, long time.

Even when my sons were babies, their favorite food from baby food jars were Gerber's peaches. They might have been really cranky before eating them, but one bite and they were happy babies once again. You might argue that they would have had that response from just getting food in their empty tummies. One could. However, all the other foods offered to them were not crying stoppers---only thepeach. One might argue that it was the sugar in the peaches that satisfied them. One could. However, all the other "sweet" fruits set before them were always passed over for the love of the peach. Now is that power, or what????

The power of the peach is so significant in my life that many years ago it was in the form of peach cobbler and it became the opening for me to fall in love. How, I hear you asking? How could it possibly be credited for that capability? I tell you that peach moved my whole body, mind, heart, and spirit. It was wonderful. Ihave long contemplated how that could happen with just a bite of peach. All I know is that it happened and I have always been grateful to the Persistant Peach for all of the goodness it has brought me.

And finally, the power of the peach does its thing as far as my moments of depression arise. I can sit down with real peaches. (but cream has been replaced with skim milk and sugar with Splenda) or canned peaches or frozen peaches or dried peaches and become immediately composed and the depression goes silently away---as if it had never been there. Now that is Power. Wouldn't you agree?

Oh how I love peaches!

Courage

What is courage?

Webster defines it as "the attitude of facing and dealing with anything recognized as dangerous, difficult or painful".

We often hear the phrase "mustering up some courage" like its somewhere buried inside of ourselves. Remember the Wizard of Oz when the cowardly lion wanted courage? Eventually he found that it was "within" him...that he had it all of the time.

Sometimes during great trauma, we see others as having brave acts of courage like on September 11. We laud those who show bravery and accomplish great things. And it is all coming from within each person.

In my own family, my great grandfather came over from Norway when he was but 12 without his family. Just came aboard a ship and landed in the Americas. He first went to Wisconsin as the landscape reminded him of Norway and there were big settlements of Norwegians there. After just being in country for 3 weeks, he signed up with the Wisconsin infantry in 1860 and served in the Civil War all four years. That took courage for him to travel to the states and to join WAR at the age of 12. He was known to have swam in Antietam Creek in Maryland with Confederate troops marching along side of the creek, and he only had a plant stem in which to breathe. Aafter the battle of Antietam, he is known to have shook President Lincoln's hand, where Lincoln remarked about how young these soldiers were and fighting for their country. My great grandfather, Knut exhibited much courage.

In my own life, courage has entered the door to Susie many times. For me it hasn't been so much of physical danger but rather emotions where I needed courage to get from one step to the other.

When I moved to New Mexico some 22 years ago, I had but $1000 to my name and two young sons to take care of. I didn't have a job, or a place to live....Driving down it took all the courage I had. The same great grandfather that served in the Civil War, lost 5 of his children to diptheria in the 1870's and then his wife died of pneumonia. He gathered up his one living son and moved to North Dakota and all he had was $60.00. I figured out in my mind that if HE could do that then I could do what I needed to do! So I did!

One summer many years ago my sons told me on the phone that they wanted to stay with their Dad rather than be with me. I got in my car and drove through the night nearly 1000 miles to see them and make heads and tails out of the situation. I remember crying all the way up there and stopping to get gas was interesting because people didn't know who to treat this weepy woman. When I arrived there I felt so utterly "attacked" and it took every bit of courage I could muster to go through those painful moments. I know it was hard on everybody concerned and it hurt like a knife had pierced my heart and my very soul. It took courage then to just be.....and then to drive back without them. I am so grateful to have had courage inside of myself to be able to draw upon for that time.

Most recently I didn't feel well one morning, hadn't for quite some time but I decided I needed to go to the clinic and have it checked out. The Dr said I had "congestive heart failure" and it hit me like a ton of bricks. It took all the courage I had to go through the tests and procedures and operations to make my heart "livable".

I would characterize courage by saying that it is the opposite of fear. Many might disagree but I do think of it as an opposite. For both cannot occupy the same thought at the same time.

Hence,I choose courage rather than fear to live my life.

My True Religion is Kindness

This is probably my favorite saying of the Dahli Lama.

Two things come to mind:

1) Kindness.....Sympathetic, friendly, gentle, tenderhearted, generous....

2) Religion....a belief in a divine or superhuman power


And if you put them together, what a combination you get! What if our world practiced this religion faithfully? The possibilities are magnanimous! It just makes me smile all over just thinking about that possibility!

If I practiced this religion faithfully what a better human being I would be and I could easily practice the ART of being human.

I don't want to think about being kind....I just want to be that way....always.

Just How Compassionate Can a Person Be????

Or more poignantly just how compassionate can I be?

Compassion is an interesting word. Webster defines it as: "sorrow for the sufferings or trouble of another or others, accompanied by an urge to help; deep sympathy". When I think of the word 'compassion' I always think of some great and some not-so-great people.

First comes to mind is Jesus. When we reflect upon some of the stories of Jesus...how he healed so many and befriended the woman at the well, how he listened to his disciples and forgave them even before they had done any wrong.....He was full of compassion.

I also think of the Dahli Lama. He had such compassion for all of the peoples of Tibet that he moved them to a whole different space to escape persecution. He also is known for saying "My true religion is kindness."... He also tells us "When you need to forgive another, use compassion and when you need to forgive yourself, use compassion. He lives and breathes the very essence of the word. .Once when I was in his presence he looked at me with such tenderness in his eyes, with such compassion.

Quon Yin was to go into heaven but she chose to stay here on the planet and help all of the rest of us until we ALL were ready to go into heaven. Her compassion for mankind was/is so great.

I remember growing up that my dad rented out homes for those who had just come to town, didn't have a paycheck yet, and no place to live. He helped them with their housing and often food, and went to visit with them. He had such compassion for those who needed his help.

Once Dr. Westphall of the Vietnam Veterans National Memorial in Angel Fire, NM, was greeted by a Veteran who was really having trouble and was thinking of committing suicide late one night. Dr. Westphall looked at the Veteran and took his hand and said, "Son, will you stand with me tomorrow at the Ceremony?" He looked at that Veteran with such compassion that everyone in the room felt it and shed a few tears at that very moment.

Abraham Lincoln, after visiting the Battle of Antietam, went to his tent and cried for the young men who were fighting and dying in that infamous struggle. His compassion was so great for all of mankind that he stood to make a difference in people's lives.

There are examples of compassion all around us in acutality and in our minds.

I think that one of my heart blockages has to do with compassion. Even thoough I think I've been a fairly compassionate person in my life, I heard someone speak the simple phrase while I was in the hospital..."When you breathe in, say, "I breathe in the love of God." and when you breathe out, say, "I breathe out all fear." That to me was such an epitome of compassion for it spoke to a sorry of all of us....that of fear. When I was in the hospital, I had such deep fear....not of dying for that has never been a fear of mine, but the fear that my heart was hurt, and I couldn't do anything to help it.....and more importantly, I was the one who had hurt it. So I had a great deal to think about with that simple statement.

Then when I had gotten out of the hospital, my friend Lara was telling me about a well known Buddhist monk who said something quite the opposite...He says to breathe in ALL the fear, ALL the pain, ALL the suffering of the world and then when you breathe out, to breathe out compassion for all of that and send it as a blessing to blanket the world with a comforter of compassion.

The result is that I can be compassionate with so much more than I ever DREAMED was possible. And with that blockage removed, I can endeavor to not strive to be compassionate but rather just BE compassionate. That just DELIGHTS me. :)

The Red Mustang

When I was about 8 I rememberhaving a very vivid dream of riding a red mustang on the prairie with my arms straight out, hair blowing back , feeling at one with the earth, the sky, the horse and the planet. I just felt "AT One".

I have intended for a red convertible mustang for several years now. And on my last birthday, some of my friends went together and rented me a bright and shiny brand new red convertible Ford Mustang! I was soooooooo excited and I once again felt like that 8 year old girl free in the wind. It was so awesome.

Now as I am intending for a Shiny brand new Red Convertible I am amazed at how many I see everyday. I jus t think "Ford Mustang" and lo and behold one shows up. Some times in traffic, sometimes in the parking garage, sometimes on the side of the road, some times at a car dealer's...but one shows up! Some would call this "The Law of Attraction". And I intend I just keep on attracting all these Ford Mustangs to once again keep that precioous feeling alive.

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Susie Q

Of Princes and Judges

After very recently coming out of heart surgery, I was told beforehand that I had 4 blockages in my heart....one in each quadrant. Besides being shocked, I thought for a long while about what those blockages represented......And the first one was that of judgment.

Now I have prided myself as being "NON-judgmental throughout the years so to have that be the number one blockage was of so much interest to me.

And as I contemplated that issue, it became very clear that I was literally FULL of judgement---about others, about my world, about people's thoughts, and most especially about myself. That was perhaps the hardest one to look at.....for I understood that judgment is not something I wanted to sit in.

Perhaps it is because of so many things I have listened to....like Jesus tells us in the Bible.....Judge not, lest you be judged."

And in the Way of Mastery it recites that "The only thing that can keep you out of the kingdom of heaven is judgment.

In The Little Prince, it tells us "Then you shall judge yourself," the king answered. "that is the most difficult thing of all. It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom."

So judgement has been a blockage in my life and how utterly relieved I am to know that that blockage has been OPENED. I understand that NOW I have the capability of judging myself rightly and perhaps I can leave the rest of my world alone. No promises, but I can honestly pursue that avenue now.

That is surely a worthy thought worth thinking.

Would you rather be RIGHT or be HAPPY?

This always proves to be an interesting question:

Being a hard-headed Norwegian has often caused me to want to be "right"....:) but I have found over the years that being happy is so much easier on my world. If I need to be right, then it causes me so much mental and emotional stress....where if I let go and let the "rightness" work itself out, I'm much much much happier.

When I'm feeling a need to be "right", I now take a breath (a big one!) and I say to myself, "I breathe in the love of God" and when I exhale I say to myself, "I breathe out all fear" I repeat this process many times during the day and it allows me to let go of that having to be "right" business. It calms me, helps me put things in perspective and allows me to be MUCH more compassionate and caring with those around me. It helps me be the best Susie that I can be.

So I ask you today, "Would you rather be right? Or be happy?"

When I've asked this question to others I very often get the answer, "BOTH"! Some have said that when they are "right" they are happy. Some have told me that it helped make sense of the world if they knew they were "right".

Isn't it an interesting question? The interesting part for me is not the question itself but rather that we have a CHOICE.....we can CHOOSE which one we would rather be.....And to me that is just miraculous. This line actually comes from "A Course in Miracles" which I facilitate each week here in Corrales.

It does leave me with the sense of awe and wonder as well as looking at my own events that happen during the day----- and I am constantly asking myself, "Susie, would you rather be right or be happy?" And it allows me to choose differently if I'm feeling a need to be "right"......and I LOVE THAT!!!!!!

Blessings,
Susie

(Picture is of son, Jerry and grandson, Spencer2006)

Can you be happy and peaceful?

I've always thought the two were synonomous but I'm thinking differently.

I have heard the Dahli Lama laugh, many times. I thought he was a happy man.....until yesterday. I heard from his book "How to Practice the Way to a Meaningful Life" that he has not been happy most of his life. With all the changes that were going on in Tibet and reorganizing his whole country in another land was a challenge for him. And yet, He is probably one of the most peaceful men I have ever had the honor of meeting....and serving. So the question came to mind...."Are happiness and peacefulness the same?"

I think of Christ. Certainly one of the most peaceful men in our existence. And yet I think of his life as being very contemplative, very dedicated to His cause, and very concerned with others. I've seen images of him "laughing" but its hard to tell if he was a "happy man".

Dr. Westphall of the Vietnam Veterans National Memorial in Angel Fire, NM is one of the most peaceful men I've ever met and yet as I shared dinner with him most every night for 3 years I would be hard pressed to say that he was "happy".

Abraham Lincoln was full of laughter and tales that made others laugh and yet his life was plagued with misfortune. He is quoted to have said, "A Man is about as Happy as he makes up HIS mind to be!" Yet his life didn't hold very much happiness. But he was a peaceful man. He realized the tasks before him were not entirely of his own doing and hence he had the "personalness" taken out of it.

Mother Theresa certainly smiled but I would like to know how she would answer the question "Are you happy?"

In my own life....have I been happier or more at peace? I like to think I've had some of each. And even sometimes I do have one or the other, rarely though I think have I had them both together.

Perhaps happiness is over rated. Ha!

Something to think about for sure.

So it makes me wonder? Can you be happy AND peaceful? Enquiring minds want to know!
Susie