Essere Ancora

 Be still my heart; thou hast known worse than this.

- Homer

Have I known worse than this?  Well......someone else always seems to have a worse life story than mine, but when I am living through my terror.....my disappointments......my heartbreak......my sorrow......my pain....., each trial seems worse than anything else.  The extreme responding feelings are probably due to my hyper focus on my situation.  If I could only hold my focus on God's glory, strength, and power, then the fear, doubt, and uncertainty would not overwhelm my intellect and spirit. 

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.

- Psalm 46:10

Be still is a phrase which is found throughout the bible, in hymns, and in modern songs.  In Katharina von Schlegel's 1752 hymn, Be Still, she described the path which God may lead us as "thorny ways", yet He leads us to a joyful end. Her words advise us to bear our crosses patiently leaving the work to God for He will provide in every change.  As I read Exodus 14:13-18, I am reminded how Moses told the Israelites to not be afraid.....stand firm.......the Lord will bring deliverance today......the Lord will fight for you....you only need to be still.  My interpretation of this verse brings to mind images of myself without fear, worry, fret, impatience, restlessness......breathing calmly and remaining quiet in mind, body, and soul.  These are hopeful images for I so desire to be this trusting of God's glory and power.  Why do I doubt?  What holds me back?  Why can I not be resigned to God's will and plan?  Why can I not live with trusting expectation of His Providence of my path? He knows my story....my  struggles.....He knows what is going to happen before my story unfolds.  Why do I doubt His faith in me? I have been told over and over that God will not give me more than I can handle.....so why do I not believe His belief in me?  Why do I fear?  Moses stated that God will deliver me.......This sounds like He will be there to save the day if I would only allow Him.  I must let go completely......remove all mental dismaying, and give Him the lead to fight the good fight.  He knows the end of my tribulations.....God is all knowing and His Providence is the best game plan......so I need to practice being still and waiting patiently for the Coach (God) to call the play.....to call my name when it is my turn to enter the playing field for His glory. 

John J. Parsons from www.hebrew4christians.com sums up Exodus 14:14 the best.  He describes being still as meaning that we surrender to God's control for He is Ribbono Shel Olam - Master of the Universe.  We "let go" in order to know the saving power of God in our lives.  Parsons adds that we give up trusting in ourselves and our designs in order to experience the glory of God's all-sufficiency.  The Ribbono Shel Olam's game plan may involve working through the people in our lives to win the battle, or may involve the manipulation of our surroundings in ways unseen and indescribable to take out our enemies......either way.....I must remember that He is the Master, and I am His loveable purposeful creation......I need to quit making up my purpose.....Being still and holding fast will reveal His purpose for me in the game of life.....He leads me.....guides me.....He will save me from darkness. 

 Holdfast.............help is on the way............Holdfast..........He's come to save the day........
- Mercy Me

Ribbono Shel Olam, please never give up on me.
St. Raphael, pray for me.....guide me to still patience.
St. Florian, pray for the safety of all emergency responders and firefighters.
St. Gregory the Great, pray for the inspiration and courage of all teachers.
St. Francis de Sales, pray for my humility.
May the heavenly angels help us to spread the Love in our hearts to one another. Amen.
- little petunia

Il nome della rosa

Roses are mysterious labyrinths.  A rose represents a rare beauty which encompasses the senses with its delicate and graceful petals of eye-appealing color and hypnotizing sweet fragrance.  It invites you into an unknown, yet desirable passion. Each bloom symbolizes love and peace, but at the same time, its thorns can produce an intense pain that can cut to the quick.  Roses consume the soul while you walk towards the light at the end of life's tunnel. Each fallen petal either guides to your full purpose or sends you spiraling on paths within your heart's labyrinth. 

What is the name of the rose?  The name of the rose is PASSION.  Passions reside in the hearts of spiritual beings.  It's a flame burning to light your way, yet so many become lost......never finding their way.  Passions should be the kinetic energy to keep you moving forward towards the TRUTH.  The trick is to hold fast to the holy path and not get caught up in where our minds may lead you.  Ego resides in the mind and takes the passionate focus off the TRUTH, and shines a glamorous light on self.  If a passion becomes centered on self, then thorns of loss, despair, and pain prick the heart. 

How can the rose remain in bloom?  A rose will continue to bloom as a heart's passion is shared with others.  Giving a portion of your passion away ignites a reaction and transforms the potential energy of the heart to kinetic energy......This action is inspiring, but doesn't come easy.  Transforming energy is work which means you will have to put forth effort to force your ego to let go over a multitude of distances along the course of your path. As a heart's passion is given away over time, power of love is produced which energizes a mechanical advantage to moving others' passions towards the TRUTH.  When a community of roses are in bloom, the fragrance of love is intoxicating and pressures are relieved which decreases the stress from the ego's masquerading efforts of destruction of life's true purpose and mission. The focus of a heart's passion is LOVE.....to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind.......and to love our neighbors as our self.  Love is empowering.  As LOVE is given to others, love blooms in your heart.  Any other pursued passion leads to dark lonely tunnels.  Your love of the game will lack efficiency.  Your heart's inspiration will become nonrenewable and your rose will not be renewed.....refreshed.  Your rose will stop blooming.   

"Perhaps the mission of those who love mankind is to make people laugh at the truth, to make truth laugh, because the only truth lies in learning to free ourselves from insane passion for the truth."-- The Name of the Rose, Seventh Day, Night

What if a heart's passion shared with a loved one doesn't produce empowering inspiration?  Some spiritual beings are not receptive to a heart's passion.  They don't understand the mechanism of love, so remain lost in the rose's labyrinth......going around in circles.   When someone is unresponsive to love due to ego, love should be given, but even Jesus spoke of cleaning the dust off of your sandals and moving on...........You have more distance to cover on your path, and this type of unresponsiveness clogs up the flow of LOVE.  Love which isn't allowed to flow causes pressure and develops cracks in its structure.  Love's strength and courage disappear. 

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

-Lao Tzu 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for my passion's focus.
St. Theresa the little flower, pray for my humility.

St. Raphael the Archangel, pray for the healing of heart, soul, and body.

St. Pio, pray for my strength and courage.
Blessed Mother Teresa, pray for love in my life. Amen.

- little petunia

Fiorire

Flourishing means that a living thing is thriving while it is growing and developing.  Depending on the organism and the type of environment, certain characteristics are imperative for successful flourishing; and can lead to populations of organisms, like bacteria, vigorously increasing in healthy numbers.  Organisms flourish also due to the ability of physical and behavioral adaptations. Darwin referred to this ability with his description of natural selection. The lack of adaptation can lead to an inability to flourish and to the elimination of organisms.

When applying flourishing; and the same adaptive characteristics and survival behavior to a relationship between spiritual beings; it is found that relationships are naturally resilient.  In an ecosystem, resilience is the ability of the particular area to return its original state after being disturbed.  In physics, resilience is the amount of potential energy stored in an elastic material when deformed.  Keeping these ideas in mind, relationships should be able to recover from tragedy, toxic behavior, sorrow, pain, loss, selfishness, disappointments
......etc....., but sometimes the pressure and stress has been so great that there is not enough potential energy to transform a relationship into a forward positive motion. There may not be enough kinetic energy or other resources to return to the original relationship status.

In bagpipe bands, the tenor drum section has a knack for flourishing.  This traditional skill of the tenor drummers has evolved over the years to become bold and extravagant gestures or actions to add a unique touch to the band's sights and sound during a performance or competition.  Participants in a troubled relationship may attempt the same type of bold actions, but it may not be enough to attract the attention of the other involved parties that the ship is about to sink.  Despite any bleak outlook or lame gestures, though, there is always hope.......hope in that good will come out of the struggle even though the outcome is not what we had planned.  Have courage because God's mercy may just be around the corner.  Expect it.

Flourishing requires the ability to see and accept unseen outcomes.  Opening the mind to other possibilities or scenarios which are beyond our current perspective or logic.  Faith involves stepping out and walking forward as two dear friends recommend.   Trusting with each step that the next step will be under your foot to catch and guide you. Some call it blind faith.  For survival, tough decisions may have to be made.  No matter what direction your flourishing takes you.....no matter what decisions you are led to make.... bounce back and survive.....Enjoy life!.....Be happy!....That's what flourishing is all about......je, je, je.... :-)  

St. Francis de Sales, pray for my patience.

St. Therese the little flower, pray for my humility.
St. Raphael, pray for those who travel.
Mother Mary, please take my prayers for Bernardette's healing to your son, Jesus.

St. Florian, pray for the safety of firefighters and emergency responders.
St. Pio, pray for my healing.
St. Elizabeth Seton, pray for all teachers.  -Amen.

-little petunia

Appena

Just breathe,
Just breathe,
Grace falls down like rain
Filling the brim
Of broken hearts
Lifting chains
Cleansing souls
Raising our buoyancy

Just walk,
Just walk,
Peace pardons like a smile
Spreading out
Into spiritual postures
Laying down
Dying to self
Decreasing pain’s density

Just search,
Just search,
Blessings don’t hide
Located around the bend
Of grief and sorrow
Intercepting vectors
Lead to previous joys
Taking belief to higher altitudes

Just wait,
Just wait,
Faith floats through storms
Relieving the doubts
Of prayers unanswered
Pursuing truth
Praising works
Humbly grateful

-little petunia,  April 2012

Rispetto

People have different opinions about respect.  Confucius says that if you respect yourself, then others will respect you which means you must have the first action.  Leo Tolstoy wrote in Anna Karenina that respect was invented to cover the empty place where love should be which sounds like it is an option or replacement for love.  In Leaving Paradise, Simone Elkeles wrote that mutual respect is involved with loving each other which indicates that respect is a two-step between people who care for one another.  Around the world, there are communities of people who outwardly show a deep form of respect to others through Namaste by bowing to one another in a certain simple method.  Aadil Palkhivala, a yoga teacher, explains that this mannerism acknowledges the soul in one by the soul in another.  What a wonderful heart-endearing way to honor someone!

Personally, I like how Albert Einstein handled respect.  He stated one time that he spoke to everyone in the same way whether the person was a garbage man or the president of the university.  From this I gather that he didn't need to be in a close personal relationship with the person for him to automatically provide respect for the person. The person didn't need to EARN his respect before he gave respect away.  Einstein didn't have a check list of requirements to follow before he gave respect to another human being.  He just did....which is a form of unconditional love, and isn't that what we are called to do as Christians......as spiritual beings?   There is direction provided in Romans 13:7.....Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. 

By definition, respect means to honor someone; to show regard for their well-being; and/or to consider their needs and rights. This means that before one makes decisions which involve others around them that they should think about the others' needs before their own.  It doesn't mean that you can't have goals of your own, but when you are in a relationship with someone, your goals should consider the desires of the other person.  Respecting others appropriately ensures that individual goals are met along side family or community goals.  You can not love and respect others if you always meet your desires first.  There is no honor with attaining your desires if your family and friends continue to suffer over and over.  Respect involves making sacrifices of your needs and desires......not your loved ones sacrificing themselves in order for you to be king of the hill while they roll down the decline. 

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let

 each esteem other better than themselves.

-Philippians 2:3

Respect and love go hand in hand and should be applied to all relationships in one's life.  We should be respecting and loving the sinner as well as those who we think treat us kindly.  I believe that respect is given freely without any requirements.  Respect should not only be given if we feel we are respected....I believe if someone feels like this, then they do not have a healthy positive self-image.  This kind of person has this requirement to puff up their self-image, because they don't like themselves....or don't know how to. They consider their needs first........ THAT IS CALLED SELFISHNESS!  Selfishness is not love.  They can keep telling themselves that they love and respect others, but they are only convincing themselves of a falsehood. Selfish beings are harming their souls.  Their souls are not very attractive.  As St. Augustine stated, "Love is the beauty of the soul."  Do selfish beings really believe that their actions maintain a level of attractiveness that can withstand time and lack of honor? 


To address the self-respect topic, I will admit that beings need to respect themselves, but not to the point of selfishness.  Dr. Wayne Dyer has written in his book, Power of Intention, about things which we can do build or maintain our self-respect. Self-respect provides a fertile foundation for the growth of respect for others. The following are steps for each of us to consider:

Step 1: Look into a mirror, make eye connection with yourself, and say "I love me" as many times
             as possible during your day. 

Step 2: Write the following affirmation and repeat it over and over again to yourself: I am whole
              and perfect as I was created! 

Step 3: Extend more respect to others and to all of life.   

Step 4: Affirm to yourself and all others that you meet, I belong!  

Step 5: Remind yourself that you're never alone. 
Step 6: Respect your body!  

Step 7: Meditate to stay in conscious contact with your Source, which always respects you. 

Step 8: Make amends with adversaries.

Step 9: Always remember the self in self‑respect.

Step 10: Be in a state of gratitude. 

Remember that there are clear cut directions from Divine inspiration to guide our respect for others.  Respect for others is clearly stated in the ten commandments.  Children are guided to respect their parents......and even as adult children, we are to respect our parents.  Respect never stops. The commandments guide spouses to respect one another and neighbors to respect each other. Those 10 commandments are pretty clear, and I don't remember reading anything about requirements nor exceptions. If the concept of respect is new for you, then just begin by initiating a smile. A smile is the simplest form of respect. 

 

 Let us always meet each other with a smile for the smile is the beginning of love.
- Mother Teresa

One last comment about respect deals with a topic of titles.  People have titles because they have accomplished a level of learning or training; or state in life.  A married woman's title is "Mrs.", and it should be a respected title.  A married woman's title should not be altered to make single or divorced woman feel better about themselves whose titles are either "Miss" or "Ms.".  I am sorry, but the feelings of the women in these other states of life are NOT more important than the state of life of a married woman.  I greatly respect the life of a single and divorced woman.  They have their own sufferings and crosses to bear, but married woman should be NOT be forced into their category.  Titles are badges of honor which should be respected across the board.  

A lack of respect for titles is also being experienced in the field of science according to an article written in Physics Today by a physicist, Robert Cassola.   He wrote that he has observed a trend in the referencing of scientific professionals during interviews and states that he believes that titles are used as a sign of respect and credibility.  Cassola recommends that scientists must demand the same level of respect as other professionals; and claims that to demand less diminishes scientific professions.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for my courage to remain.

St. Theresa the little flower, pray for my humility.

St. Raphael, the Archangel, pray for my courage.

Mother Mary, please take my intentions for Bernardette's healing to your son.
St. Pio, pray for my loved ones to learn how to truly respect others before themselves.
Spirit of Jesus, come into my soul. - Amen.

- little petunia

Per sapere qualcosa di me

Sometimes I wonder where my life has taken me.....? 
Sometimes I wonder have I fulfilled the world's expectations....?

But I still keep walking and walking.......

Realizing that life is still a mystery.




Bet you didn't know black shadows followed me.....

Lurking around unanticipated corners...
Pulling me down into the dark waters....
The voice I hear gives hope....so I float.....
Only temporarily fixing me, because I haven't let go....

Everything had looked like dreams which couldn't come true....

It hasn't always been easy to be calm when something disturbs me....

I have slowed down, taken my time, thought a lot, and prayed incessantly....

Being thankful for unspoken graces of yesterday;
                                        blessings for today; and
                       tomorrow's hopes.

Some dreams haven't come true.......But a soul's dream can change.

 

All the times that I've cried......

Sometimes quiet tears.....
Sometimes loud........
Hard to ignore all of the pain....

Trust and love can be a  lowdown dirty game....

Back up against a wall.....

Which choice brings a silver lining to my cloud?


Youth was my fool's inexperience....

Fear brought turmoil and frustrations.....

Feelings unidentified.....
Built misinterpretations of involvement.

Lost in my cobwebs.........

Misunderstandings distort truths to lies....

Not communicating soulful visions mixes perspectives, but......

Contrition builds trust....bringing truth out of the lies.

"Ba de ya, say do you remember....Ba de ya, dancing in September..."
- Earth, Wind, and Fire

Striving towards the winds of the night....

For that is where I will one day take flight....

I never stopped hearing the words of advice.

Soulfully replaying their meaning....

Night's dreams don't end only bend.......

Anytime in my prayers, I stay long after then........
Faithfully hoping for bountiful dreams of loved ones........
Seen and unseen......On winds of the night, Graces fall like rain.

- little petunia, 4/29/12
(based loosely on old words & Boz Skaggs)

 St. Francis de Sales, pray for my passions.

St. Theresa the little flower, pray for my humility.

St. Pio, pray for the genuine faith of my seen and unseen friends and family.
St. Florian, pray for the safety of all fireman and emergency responders.
Mother Mary, please take the unspoken prayers of my heart to your son.

Thank you God for life's lectures and friendly advice.

Jesus, heal me.
Holy Spirit, inspire me.
St. Raphael the Archangel, pray for me.
May Heaven's Angels watch over Aunt Lorene as she awaits Heaven's Gate.   -Amen.

Prospettiva

Perception or perspective? The question reminds me of a riddle….Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Do we perceive before a perspective is created or does a perspective lead to a certain perception? With my amateur level of reasoning, I hypothesize that both happens in a cyclical manner. A writer for Globalmindshift states that behind every action is a perception, and behind every perception is a perspective. To perform better actions, we not only need to develop more accurate perceptions, but also evaluate the adequacy of the perspectives which are produced from our perceptions.  I interpret this as meaning that better beliefs lead to more effective actions. 

                             Perception              Perspective

By definition, a perception is a process by which sensory information is received and interpreted by the brain.  Sensory information is gathered by the five senses and stored as memories. Perceptions are created by images, odor, sounds, taste, and touch. In any given setting or circumstance, our brains are collecting data in order for us to efficiently evaluate our environment to make the appropriate responses. Sometimes,  we are not aware of our senses picking up on stimuli, but we do have the capability of influencing how we evaluate our surroundings. Some people are blessed with more keen skills at listening and observing, but we all can train our senses with a little consistent effort.  Efficient neurological processing of perceptions lead to more accurate impressions. Perceptions can lead to intuition, insight, and knowledge. 

Perspectives are the impressions developed by perceptions, and allow us to look at a situation or object in relationship to the surroundings. These impressions are viewpoints which unfortunately can become permanent, but for a soul to grow and develop with the changing times, it is more effective to be able to make internal shifts in perspectives.  Internal shifting is also known as thinking or looking outside the box. Shifting a perspective allows for a change in understanding of a person or situation which leads a change in our understanding; and brings on tolerance and respect for the circumstances of other people. The result is a multidimensional viewpoint.  Susanna Bil, a design and social researcher, expresses that it can be difficult to embrace other perspectives due to our values and comfort zone. Questioning whether your perspective may be wrong or not applicable to situations can be hard to swallow because we are comfortable with how we see things should happen or play out.  Changing perspectives might mean that we will need to do things differently and that would take effort and work.  Work requires a force acting over a distance. Change can hurt because you must force yourself to think in a different manner in order to produce different actions and this takes practice over and over.  Shifting perspectives may take a community effort, but the change still boils down to each individual person making the change themselves. 

Each perspective has its strengths, and it is by seeing these strengths in juxtaposition to each
other that we have the greatest chance of being able to find ways to combine
the best of each into an ultimately more satisfying synthesis.

James L. McClelland- cognitive scientist

The next time you are in a dilemma, disagreement, or misunderstanding; and are having a hard time finding a resolution, take the opportunity to evaluate your perceptions and current perspectives. You may be due for an overhaul. Don't get stuck in a rut by thinking that it's your way or the highway.  There is always a variety of paths one can travel to arrive at the desired destination.  Shifting perspectives is refreshing; ignites enlightenment; and initiates creativity and wholesome communication.  You will be able to read emails and texts without automatically thinking the worst.  I am in complete agreement with Dr. Wayne Dyer when he recommends, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.”

May God's wisdom guide our perceptions and perspectives towards love, charity, and compassion.

May we all be driven more by the patience and understanding of others' perspectives. 
May we all have the courage to admit our perceptions may be out of whack.

St. Jude, pray for our situations of impossible misunderstandings. Amen.- little petunia