Magic Moments

Have you ever experienced one of those magical moments?  You know the ones, they help you remember the awe and wonder in life.  They can be big or small.

In Honduras I spent an incredible day at a natural hot springs.  It was magical.  I was in the middle of a jungle, getting a massage, bathing in hot springs and feeling like I was in another world.  It was something I never dreamed I'd be doing.  I was filled with awe, wonder and gratitude for being able to have this unbelievable experience.

But you don't have to go that far and spend all kinds of money to experience the magic.  It's right in front of you each and every day if you just open your eyes and heart to see it.  Butterflies, bees, humming birds, flowers, grass, rainbows, sun, lightening, rain, snow, colored leaves in autumn, children, puppies, kittens, clouds, sunsets... you get the idea, magic is everywhere.  It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, it's available to everyone.  We've all been given so much.  We need to open ourselves up, see it, appreciate it, and give thanks for the magic and wonder that is our lives.

Love,  Paula

A Lesson In Trust

When I was in Honduras, I saw many amazing things.  One thing that really struck me was the level of trust.  I saw this mostly in the country.  As you're driving along country roads, it's not unusual to see cows, horses and chickens just roaming around freely.  Now these aren't wild animals.  They belong to someone.  But most of them aren't fenced in.  They're allowed to roam freely to find food.  Talk about "free range".  It was interesting and amazing to me.  You had to drive cautiously because in the blink of an eye a hen, chick, cow or horse could decide that "the grass was greener on the other side" and just amble across the road.

It struck me how trusting the people must be.  They didn't seem to be at all concerned that someone might steel their animals.  They also didn't seem to be worried that the animals would wander off too far and they wouldn't find them.  It was so different than what I'm used to seeing here in the states.  Here we seem to live in such fear.  We sit behind locked doors and worry that someone might want to harm us or take what is ours.  Unfortunately, our fear is probably justified.

Honduras is considered to be a third world country.  They're striving to be more like us.  In some ways that's probably a good thing, but in many ways I think we should be striving to be more like them.  We should be trying to be more trusting and more trust worthy.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to unlock our doors and welcome people in?  Or to unlock our doors and go out to meet the world?  I think that we, as Americans, have a lot to learn from other cultures.  In Honduras I learned a lesson in trust.

Love,  Paula

A Better Way

As I mentioned in last week's blog, my brother passed away unexpectedly while I was away on vacation.  I'm pretty much okay with death.  I realize it's just another part of life.  I believe that although the body dies, the spirit, soul, essence of the person never dies.  It lives on forever.  I've experienced the passing of my parents, my mother and father-in-law, all of my aunts and uncles except one, cousins, friends and acquaintances.  But so far, nothing has been as difficult for me as this... the passing of a sibling.

Besides having to deal with a loss emotionally and spiritually, there's the "business" of death.  When you should be allowing yourself time to grieve and feel your loss and pain, you have to deal with business.  It's different for everyone.  In my brother's case, he lived in an apartment.  We had 14 days from the date of death to get the apartment cleaned out.  He died on a Thursday.  We didn't find out until Saturday evening.  We couldn't start the process until Monday because we didn't have keys and the office wasn't open until then.  We were already five days into it.

I understand that for them it's a business.  They need to clean, paint, shampoo carpets and get a new tenant in so they can continue to make money.  But for us it was a very difficult time.  We had to set that aside and take care of business.  I really don't know how things could be done differently, but it seems like there should be a better way.

Love,  Paula

Life Doesn't Wait... Neither Does Death

You never know when life is going to throw you a curve.  As I posted last week,  I just got back from a
FABULOUS vacation.  It was so special.  There were spiritual moments, magical moments, and wonderful beach resort moments.  I'm sure I'll be writing more about the trip in future blogs.

When I got back from vacation, I learned that my brother had passed away while I was gone.  Before I left, my brother and I made a lunch date.  He had to cancel because of a previous appointment he had forgotten about.  We talked on the phone.  I told him we'd be sure to get together when I got back.  He told me to take lots of pictures.  But he didn't wait.  We never had that lunch.  He never saw the pictures.

This was a reminder to me that we should all savor the time we have with our loved ones.  You never know when it's going to be the last time you see or talk to them.  Like the old James Taylor song says, "Shower the people you love with love.  Show them the way that you feel.  Things are gonna be much better if you only will."

We're only human, but let's try to keep the words of that song in our hearts and on our minds always.  Let the people you care about know that you care because life doesn't wait... neither does death.

Love,  Paula