I met a lady yesterday…….a very lovely sweet mother of 2. Her youngest is still in school and her oldest is a daughter…. a daughter who married and bore her, her first grandchild. She is a single mom…there are many single parents in our country today. She has a story like and unlike many others. As I listened to her story I thought how many parents there are out there that have a story and are raising a family alone and so often without financial support from the other parent.

Her story goes something like yours or mine…..or your friends or acquaintance….

What makes her story different than mine? I don’t know if it makes it different than yours…but it does separate it from anything that I have had to deal with…

Her daughter…her one and only daughter who bore her, her first grandchild, also a girl…..her precious daughter was killed by a drunk driver. So now she has the distinct privilege ( insert sarcasm) of belonging to 2 different types of support groups. Single parent support and MADD support.

These are things that make me think…they make me go…hmmmmmmmmmmm….they make me thank God for my blessings and to say a prayer for single parents and ALL parents in the world touched by tragedy.

Today I have had messages from God and I did not even see it nor hear it until a few minutes ago.

So I was blogging about my non addiction to caffeine ( read previous post) where I made a play on words about “with Coffee” all things are possible…..ummmm yeah sounds like Matthew 19:26 but not…LOL so that is how I started my blog post which was primarily about whether caffeine and other mind altering or body altering chemicals can keep you from discerning Gods voice and direction for you.  After I was finished with my post I am sitting at my computer listening to Wayne Dyer and he says ” with God all things are possible”  I do not believe in coincidence…I believe in synchronicity. There is a difference.

coincidence – an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental

synchronicity - the experience of two or more events that are apparently causally unrelated occurring together in a meaningful manner. To count as synchronicity, the events should be unlikely to occur together by chance.

The difference, at least the way I interpret it….is that with synchronicity apparently unrelated things come together….. ALL things are meant to be.…These occurrences are meaningful…not accidental.  Coincidence=insignificant…could have been arranged. synchronicity=meaningful…life changing….deep UNLIKELY TO OCCUR TOGETHER BY CHANCE!

I love when this happens, although I am always left wondering what? At this point I think I need to offer a prayer of “letting go” to God.  I will pray that HE shows me what it is that I need to know! And that I not only discern it but that it is for the highest good of ALL. And according to HIS will not mine.

Let go and let God!

I recently started shopping at a new butcher here in Indy, in the Avon area to be exact. The name is Moody’s and it is located on 267 just North of Rockville Rd. They sell all natural no chemicals or hormones added meats and poultry. I love them although it is funny that now that I have found Moody’s I have started noticing that more organic and non chemical added meats,poultry, and produce are making their way to the retail stores.  I think that is great but still find it comforting to shop from our local farmers who take the time to grow their items the way I want them…..free range,no hormones….I like that and I want to support our local farmers.

I am buying all of my cleaning products at Melaleuca. They have been in the GREEN business for 25 years this year and I became a customer in June. I cannot express just how happy this makes me! Since becoming a customer I have converted my entire home over to non toxic cleaning products and I can tell the difference! it makes me feel pretty good to know that all of my products under my sink will not kill my grand kids if by some chance they got into them! Also…the way they clean! WOW…I find that I clean alot more now that I am using green products. I love the fact that I am not throwing away all of those cans and bottles each month OH and I will say one of the best parts is getting the money back for shopping with them. I do like that! LOL

Our new group, Organic Living Today has met once and will meet again next month. We meet to socialize with like minded people and share ideas on how to live a healthier organic life.  We are not fanatics…some of us have not even made the change yet but are exploring our options! It is just nce to be able to talk with others who are striving to live a healthier life!

Summer is over and so we move into Fall! I love this season, the leaves and weather changing and of course our annual treck to Florida is fast approaching, that is always fun! The Fall festivals, Pumpkin Patches, and Farmers markets, it is a great time of year. Do you love this time of year as much as I do?

Living an Organic life becomes quite fun this time of year with all of the fine produce at the farmers markets and at all of the festivals. The restaurants start getting beautiful medleys of fresh produce, but this is my first year living an organic life so I am wondering what the winter will bring in the way of fresh organically grown produce?

Taking walks out in the Fall weather is one of the best things about fall, after the hot summer that we have had here in Central Indiana the cool weather is a welcome break. Although I have to say that we have just entered into a bit of a heat wave the last few days yesterday it was 88 and a bit humid today the high is going to be 84 with a 40% chance of thunderstorms and tomorrow we are back up to 94!  After that it appears to go back down into the 70′s where it belongs for this time of year and I am happy about that!

As I said we are headed to Florida in a couple of weeks, Orlando to be exact….we are DVC owners ( Disney Vacation Club) and head that way 2-3 times a year. We also go down to St. Pete for a day and enjoy the ocean and see my mother in law! Nice that she lives close to the beach!  Visiting WDW and attending the parties are always a part of our Fall/Winter lives! We love it.  If you have never been to WDW at Halloween or Christmas I strongly urge you to take the time to do so…whether you like theme parks or not it is worth a shot…there is SO much to do that has nothing to do with theme parks, it is sad to not give it a try.

I have enjoyed the summer even with the lack of rain that we have had here in Indy…..I welcome the Fall season and am looking forward to visiting Florida as well as a few places around Indiana….like Nashville in Southern Indiana!

Here are a few pictures from Nashville and the surrounding Brown County Indiana!  Also a few from WDW in Oct!

Nashville Indiana Labor Day weekend 2010

Artists Colony Hotel and Restaurant in Nashville Indiana

The shops in Nashville are getting ready for halloween!

At the entrance to Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is getting ready for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!

Apparently I am an emotional person….some may say too emotional. Apparently emotions are something one should not have too much of!  I wonder how a person goes about detaching themselves from their emotions so that they may be accepted among the “normal” ? Or the under-emotional?

What,you may ask, is this lady talking about?! LOL Ok…I know it sounds very gloomy and all but really it is not and I am not being pessimistic at all! If anything I am being philosophical. This world is made up of many different types of beings….we have the overly emotional, the average emotional, the under emotional, and then of course the VOID of emotion! These are just naming the emotional character traits, we know there are so many more character traits out there…….Jeesh! It does take a lot of different types to make this world go round! Even though it takes many to make this beautiful world go round….my passions and emotions seem to catch people off guard!

I ask myself “WHY”? why is it that people have a hard time with my passion and emotions? Want an example? Ok…..let us say that God throws a person in my life, complete serendipity as to the way we meet and the way we can help each other! I mean…there is an obvious purpose here, for this meeting. So…we help each other, but her helping me is not so obvious, at this point it is more about me helping her and she is happy to take my encouragement and my passion for helping her, she is happy to use me to the best of her ability at this point because, quite frankly, before I came along she was falling apart fast with no life line in sight! So…I do what I do, I help, I encourage, I talk…..we are friends, fast.  At some point she is done with me and apparently my energy and passion overwhelms her…but I am the same person who she met and was happy to call on…a lot! I have not changed but she cannot take my passion any longer.  Nevertheless, for me, this is a friendship and I am not prepared for the shift in relationship and it always hurts when it happens.

The above example is not a new situation for me, I have been here before. People have no problem using my passion and energy to their benefit and when the problem is solved I become an irritant. Problem here is that this is who I am…I am passionate and I have tons of energy for helping others……..so I have come to the conclusion that having this energy and these passions and emotions really is not a good thing. It is a problem. I have learned and am still learning to control my emotions and passions so that people do not catch on to the depth of them! Eventually I scare people off, unless they can harness my passion and solve their problems. Then, after their problems are solved or they have found other, more controlled people to “take it from here” I get kicked to the curb to await the next catastrophe in their lives when…you guessed it…. I get the call!

So…are deep emotions..passions and convictions a good thing?  I am still left wondering………

Do you receive your encouragement from the words of others? Can you imagine if you lived a life where you either had a good day or bad day based on the words of others? Don’t we need to draw our strength,encouragement…hope…well being…from ourself and God? So it seems if our relationship is good with God then we should not need the encouragement of others to validate who we are or what we can accomplish. Right? Wrong? I look around at others and wonder….do they put much stock into what others think about them? Does it only matter what God thinks? I mean…YES…emphatically YES…that is all that matters BUT is everyone able to pull that off? I know the rational answer is no, of course not! Not everyone can pull that off, there are many people who are just not that well adjusted and confident! So….wonder what kind of therapy we need when we lose our confidence and the words of others are not helping…no, quite the contrary, the words or lack of words from others is tearing you down…stealing your confidence…what then? Motivational tapes? Self-help books? THE BOOK? Does there come a time when you just need to “ASK” for help from an outsider and if so…when has that time arrived? Living a life where you are beaten down, with a lack of confidence….when the only hope in your life is the hope that the day you get to go “home” will arrive soon….how sad. And you cannot blame others because as I said….you cannot find your validation in life through the words or actions of others…this must be hard! It is hard…..! As I think through this I decide that this is the very reason that it IS so important to validate and encourage others, not just friends,business associates or family…but the stranger in line who feels she is being a pain in the butt with all of her coupons and screaming kids…..but all she is doing is trying to stretch a buck to feed her family and maybe she does not have a spouse to help keep the kids calm at the store or at home( and it is so easy for so many to pass judgement and say things like..”well she had the kids and the bad marriage,not me”…really? YOU have no idea what her situation is). SMILE at her..make her feel like it is OK that she is taking the time to save money….don’t sit there and bitch about how long this is taking or how you should not have gotten into that particular line! OR how about the family driving in the clunker and there you are driving along in your nice car yelling that she should get that thing off the road that she is a hazard! Really? So what are you going to do about it? Buy the family a new car? Like it or not it may be the only way she can get around…to the Dr’s or to the store…How sad to think that others find it such an inconvenience for the poor and struggling to share our space. I say *SMILE* at others…..maybe we shouldn’t find validation in the words or actions of other but…..BUT…since we know that not everyone is that well adjusted, then maybe it is really important for us to try and make an effort to help others feel worthy of taking up space in our precious world! huh? Oh…you cannot be bothered to worry about other peoples emotional well being…ok….then don’t smile. Your choice. The intolerance that I see out in this world everyday is very disheartening! And you can call me a person who is trying to live a Utopian life…..a dream chaser…..unrealistic! Whatever! I would rather be me….believing that I can make a difference than you yelling at the poor and underprivileged believing you are better than they are. Sometimes I want to step out of the light and tell you all to go to hell. But then again….my words may make a difference to you, so I will not! Rather I will just say..God bless! Isn’t it amazing that people take your silence and taking the higher road as a sign of weakness!!?? AMAZING! **and because so many LOVE to take my words and twist them…let me say that when I refer to “you all” I am making a general reference to people that I see mistreating others.

Would anyone be interested in meeting for lunch or coffee, on me, to learn more about weight loss or how to convert your home to a safer chemical free environment? Just PM me and let me know when and where! I would be pleased to share info with anyone.

If you are not local and would like info please give me your number OR call me at 317 679-9093

Would you like to be surrounded by love or hate?  I know that probably seems like a no brainer to you, you may even think I am just reaching here for something to write about…maybe I am! LOL  But I am not. I assure you I am headed somewhere with this question.

You know I go through my days, in search of my bliss, ever in search of my bliss, and I am pretty successful in finding said BLISS but as I have stated in past posts….retaining that BLISS is the hard part. So..it comes and it goes….as I am beginning to see that Bliss has a way of doing! It is the nature of bliss.

But as I go through my days and I interact with other people I cannot help but ask the question….do you really want to be surrounded by love?

Let me explain…..I go through my days and I interact with family and on occasion I meet others as well and whether it be family or strangers I sometimes have conversations with these people about happiness….and judgment and selflessness. These are good conversations where I feel like I am with like minded people. I usually am recharged by these conversations and it is GOOD! But then we part ways and as the days pass I may have occasion to cross paths with these same people, especially if they are family members, and low and behold they do not appear to be the same person that I had that previous conversation with. These people do not recharge me!! quite the contrary they try and bring me down!  They talk about other people, they make harsh judgments and have gossipy attitudes OR they are full of sorrow over some situation OR they want to only talk about how bad their knees hurt or how bad their kids are behaving or how bad their husband is behaving!! LOL  You get the picture!

It is in these times when I meet them that I find myself wondering…do you really want to be surrounded by love? I think we are what we think about and when I see them going on and on about all this drama and bad attitude stuff I find it hard to believe they truly want to be full of love. I cannot even imagine they would recognize love at that moment if it hit them upside the head. As a matter of fact I know this is true! When I hear people saying these things I try and stear them away from the bad feelings, try to lead them somewhere full of joy and love and they DO NOT want to come with me! They fight me and may even get mad at me for having a better attitude.

I am of the school of thought that we all have a choice, we have free will. It is our choice to be happy and full of love and joy or NOT. I know at times we are not going to be able to find it or it may be fleeting, such as my bliss is……at times it is just harder to stay in the light.

BUT there is such a difference in people when they live their lives even 75% of the time in a state of happiness, selflessness and pure JOY, thinking of others and feeling complete.

I think if we all get up in the morning and say thank you to God for the fact that we got up and are breathing it would make a difference in every one’s day. I mean…what could it hurt?  Is it possible that if we practiced this little ritual that in time we would change the world? It may seem a very simplistic thing to do in order to have such a major effect on the world around us,  but I do believe attitude is everything! We are what we think about.  We really are.

What do you think?

“Give up all bad qualities in you, banish the EGO and develop a spirit of surrender. You will then experience BLISS”

I have heard Dr. Wayne Dyer describe the ego as follows………

EGO is to

Edge

God

Out…..EGO

I like that…..

Here is another that is really GOOD!

“If you want to reach a state of bliss,then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. Its very important to be aware of them every time they come up.

THIN is a healthy beverage that helps you to stick to your eating plan. I know that I can use all the help that I can get. I am in my 40′s and have found that as the years pass it really is getting harder to maintain my weight.  I thought that maybe I had some hormone issues, things slowing down as I aged, I would not be the first woman over 40 whose waist got thick! I was at the point where I was checking into alternative testing for low hormone levels and then I found XOWii THIN.

THIN is a healthy beverage that has 50 calories and gives you fuel and helps to speed your ( MY) metabolism! THIN suppresses your appetite and boosts your energy!  THIN reduces cravings,helps balance blood sugar  and relieves inflammation! **

And it tastes good! I love it and drink 1.5 per day.*

Since I began drinking THIN daily I have lost 28 pounds. I crave less sugar and I eat a whole lot less. I also save a bunch of money each week on Starbucks because I just don’t really enjoy drinking it so much anymore!  I probably was spending about $25.00 per week on my coffee and by drinking THIN…..  I’m not!  Yes, I know…I have to pay for the THIN so whats the difference? Well let’s look at this……. Starbucks was approx $25.00 per week and I gained probably 10 pounds a year because of it, THIN is approx $31.00 per week and I have lost 28 pounds, SO FAR.

So, for a few dollars more I am getting healthy! And feeling great!

I can deal with that.

If you would like more information please visit my XOWii website!

*1.5 cans per day = 45 cans per month and 2 cases contain 48 cans

** from Prosperity magazine Sept 2010 issue