April Newsletter

Happy April Everyone!

So many cool things have been happening since we built the Spirit Room at my house in Bowie. We have met so many new souls and had so many laughs and yes, some tears and given and received so many hugs and so much Reiki energy. Sometimes it feels like my whole house is just vibrating with all the kindness I have seen so many people share. Very cool. The next month is no exception.

We kick off the month with the Spirit Center Open Door-- this month I will add an opportunity for those of you who haven't seen the Oprah "A New Earth" webcast. I have recorded them onto my Ipod and will replay the first one at 2pm. If you are wondering what all the fuss is about, here's your chance to catch up. We'll have Reiki, SoulCollage, Mandalas, Readings and maybe even the Labyrinth too!

Also, the Meditation Group has evolved into a discussion group for A New Earth. Here's how we'll do it: We will still begin with learning meditation, guided & silent. At 8:30 we will review the chapter of A New Earth that the webcast is on. You will be invited to stay and watch it at 9pm. We will continue this until the Oprah webcast is finished (in May) and then I will replay each one month by month. (we may change the day/time) If you are only interested in the Discussion group-- come at 8:30pm. Only interested in Meditation? Leave at 8:30pm. It's the best of both worlds. I'll be teaching classes on this book soon--as a New Earth Facilitator! Stay tuned!

Mid month brings much needed relaxation with an all day Restorative Yoga Retreat. 2 full yoga sessions, an energy booster and then a restore your spirit with cushions, pillows and blankets. A warm lunch, ample free time with many offerings...Come for the whole day or half day, you'll be glad you did. Space is very limited, sign up soon.

We have a special guest presenter this month! Laurie Burdette, a friend of Sheree's, will be coming to teach us to knit. She will be demonstrating how to knit a scarf...if you already know how to knit and are working on something else, you are welcome too. We will kick back and relax, consider it a Knitting meditation :) a Stitch and Bitch, if you will. Knitting Class $35 plus $10 material fee. Stitch & Bitch $10 for refreshments and what not.

Finally, on April 25th the ever-popular SoulCollage Card Play. Last month we had a great turnout and a really terrific time. We laugh, we drink wine, we make cards-- it's a great opportunity to just hang out with kindred spirits. Don't know what SoulCollage is? This is a great chance to find out!

Looks like it's gonna be a great month--hope to see YOU soon! Linna

Upcoming Yolinna Spirit, SpiritedSouls & Kindred Spirit Events:

April 5th: Open Mind--Beyond the Gateway--Janice Ervin's Event
April 6th: 1pm-5pm Spirit Center Open Door
April 7th: Lori's Stampin Up Hostess Club
April 14th: 7pm-8:30pm Meditation Night-A New Earth
April 19th:10am-4pm Restorative Yoga Day
April 20th: 2pm-5pm Learn to Knit with Laurie
April 25th: 7pm-10pm SoulCollage* Card Play
May 4th: 1pm-5pm Spirit Center Open Door
May 5th: Lori Stampin Up Hostess Club
May 10th: 1pm-5pm Special Mother's & Daughter's
SoulCollage* Retreat With Half Day Card Play for All
May 19th: 7pm-8:30pm Meditation Night-A New Earth

Ongoing Yoga Classes:
Monday & Wednesdays 10:30am at World Gym
Tuesdays 5:30pm Gentle Yoga at CCPC
Tuesdays & Thursdays 7pm All Level Yoga at CCPC

**No Yoga April 10th at CCPC**
Private Yoga Available by Appointment

Great Quotes:

You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge..... Eckhart Tolle "A New Earth"

To touch someone with kindness is to change someone forever. Heavy, huh? But that's not the half of it. Because for everyone you touch you also reach everyone they will ever know. And everyone they will ever know. And so, for the rest of all time, your kindness will be felt in waves that will spread long after you move on.... Mike Dooley, Inspirational Author aka The Universe

I Am, Therefore I Thank.... Cindy Lubar Bishop

In the end, what I have come to believe about God is simple. It's like this - I used to have this really great dog. She came from the pound. She was a mixture of about ten different breeds, but seemed to have inherited the finest features of them all. She was brown. When people asked me, 'What kind of dog is that?' I would always give the same answer: 'she's a brown dog.' Similarly, when the question is raised, 'What kind of God do you believe in?' my answer is easy: 'I believe in a magnificent God.'....Elizabeth Gilbert From her book: 'Eat, Pray, Love'

Great compassion is the root of all forms of worship.....Dalai Lama


Want to see the newsletter in it's full colored glory?
Go to www.yolinna.com and click on April Newsletter

Have a blessed month--
Hope to see you soon
Linna

WWW.YOLINNA.COM

Me? In Six Words? Sha-Right....

So my good friend CG, tagged me for a mimi or is it mi me? I dunno. But me in 6 words? How funny.

I will try. Since I love her. But oh my brain....

Be prepared to wait..... As my backspace key gets a good work out:

Yo-Linna Loves, Heals, Laughs and Resists Rules.

So. Now that that's over with! I tag:

Lori

Rhia

Shannie

Kristin

James

I've been tagged to do a MiMe: a minimalist memoir.

The rules are as follows:

1. Write your own six-word memoir

2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.

3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post.

4. Tag five more blogs with links.

5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

Earth Hour

Did you know that Saturday at 8pm is Earth Hour? For one hour, all of America (and the world) is encouraged to turn off all electricity. Just for an hour. Stop driving, stop computing, stop doing anything that requires other than the Earth's natural energy. Like look at the stars and moon instead of a tv screen. I had really wanted to do an event around this but circumstances and blahdeblah.... so I am doing an alternative. Involving fire. And alcohol, I'm sure. LOL!

When I was a kid I used to love it when the lights went out. My family loved to play cards and if the lights would go out we would play canasta by candlelight for hours. In fact, when we first moved into our house in Bowie, we did not have power. Or walls. My dad's a builder, he built our house. Digression: His name is John, his family calls him Jack.... our house has a sign that says THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT.

Anyway, I can remember my mom cooking eggs on a skillet over a fire.... Holding up the boards when you went to the bathroom.... Surprisingly, these are some of my favorite memories. Without power, we played games, and not just cards, every night we played HORSE on the basketball hoop my dad put up. He beat us every time with his one speciality shot. He would stand about 200 yards away from the hoop, put the ball over his head and let it bounce with all his might, straight into the hoop! Over and over again. None of us could do it. He would come out, challenge us to a game, do his one shot and then go take a nap knowing victory was his. Errgh. He would also wait on the roof with a pot of water just daring you to come outside during a water battle, which were epic in my house.... and I do mean IN my house....

So, yeah, power is not all that necessary in my book. Turn your electricity off on Saturday, try the whole day and see what creativity you come up with.

But really, don't take your hose through your house.....once we had floors, it got really messy.... Oh, and if your Dad's asleep, don't throw a pot of cold water on him. He could have a heart attack. Or two. And your aunt might retaliate by putting worms down your bathing suit. Maybe.

Have a great day today!

Events around the Birthday Week

We went to church yesterday for the Sunrise Easter Service. Which is supposed to be outside. Where you can see the sunrise. Hence the name. It was in the atrium of the church, also known as the foyer where I come from. Cause it was cold outside. So the kiddies and us who brought blankies to snuggle up and watch the sunrise got to stare at ..... the musicians. Hmmm....

First comment to us: "Oh so you do exist, hmmpf"

Not exactly the warm, comforting, celebratory service we were looking for on such a major occasion. But whatever, we make our own reality I suppose. So we came home to the alternate sanctuary and played some roaring, uptempo, clap your hands and CELEBRATE Christian music and danced in the sunrise.

It was Rhia's 18th birthday yesterday. We had a great day. When I was little and my mom got sick of us being underfoot she would tell us to go play in traffic. Ha Ha? Not really. But that is exactly what Rhia & I did yesterday, we went and played in traffic. For her birthday she got sidewalk chalk and we went and wrote all over the street in front of our house that it was her birthday and made pretty pictures and what not. Then Barry's mom came over and we all ended up standing out front for quite some time (the weather was gorgeous, a bit chilly but sunny and beautiful) The Youth Director at church had run over and brought Rhia a tiara and necklace to wear for her birthday so of course she had it on.

At one point it occurred to us how pathetic it may seem that we wrote all over the street and had the girl standing out by the road in gaudy fake jewelry waving at passersby. Especially as church was letting out. So much for dignity and grace. Like we ever had it anyway.

We spent the rest of the day playing Rhia's other present, American Idol for Nintendo WII. What little shred of decorum we may have had left was completely obliterated. It was soooo much fun! You get to sing your heart out and then Randy, Simon & Paula tell you how awful you were. Imagine Rhia's reaction when I beat her in a 3 round competition where we sang YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE, MORE THAN A FEELING & MY HEART WILL GO ON. Ugh.....yes, my heart will go on.... head thrown back....top of our lungs.... not as pretty as I make it sound....

Imagine how irritated we were when Barry figured out how to stay in his key and beat us both. Cory wouldn't even play after he butchered KNOCKIN ON HEAVENS DOOR, the Guns and Roses version hey, hey heyheyheyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.... simply awful, Simon says. He switched over to DDR, which is a dancing game... which I completely suck at, go figure. I'm convinced that if you actually CAN dance, you will lose this game.... anyway, never mind.

We had a wonderful ham dinner, went for a long walk with the wretched dog, laughed, had fun, prayed and worshipped. All in all, a wonderful day. In fact, it was the best Easter in a very long time.

Meditation Night tonight. Can't wait.... I love this event, so peaceful and real. Hallelujah!

Happy Easter!

"Can the Truth be put into words? Yes, but the words are, of course, not it. They only point to it. Like the Buddhists say, "The finger pointing to the moon is not the moon"

The truth is inseparable from who you are. Yes, you ARE the Truth. If you look for it elsewhere, you will be deceived every time. The very Being that you are is Truth. Jesus tried to convey that when he said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life" These words uttered by Jesus are one of the most powerful and direct pointers to the Truth, if understood correctly. If misinterpreted, however, they become a great obstacle.

Jesus speaks of the innermost I Am, the essence identity of every man and woman, every life-form, in fact. He speaks of the life that you are; the Christ within.... When you are in touch with that dimension within yourself-- and being in touch with it is your natural state, not some miraculous achievement--- all your actions and relationships will reflect the oneness with all life that you sense deep within. This is love......

.....Walking with a friend, we came upon a sign that read: DANGER. ALL STRUCTURES ARE UNSTABLE. I said to my friend, "That's a profound sutra (sacred scripture)" And we stood there in awe.

Once you realize and accept that all structures (forms driven by ego) are unstable, even the seemingly solid material ones, peace arises within you. This is because the recognition of the impermanence of all forms awakens you to the dimension of the formless within yourself, that which is beyond death. Jesus called it "eternal life."

....adapted from Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth

He is risen, Indeed! Hallelujah!

Fun... and Odd....

Last night we went to The Old Bowie Towne Grille to watch our spiritedsoul Jami sing. She was phenomenal, like over the top amazing. We were all looking at each other saying, "wow...and she graces us with HER presence!!!!" She sings very sultry, and alternately like an angel...like Johnny C says, "it's effortless, she ain't even trying...." So needless to say, we had a great time. There were a bunch of other bands and groups there and they were almost all wonderful. We were with our regulars and some new friends, very cool.

Now here's the weird part. Our kids were there. With their friends. Who we mostly know quite well, some reallllly, reallly well like our 2 extra sons and our theater family. We were at our big table with our buddies and they were at their big table with their buddies. Who, like my son, have all turned 21. Only a small partition separating us.

They had beer.

And shooters.

It took everything I had not to go over and give them a stern lecture on the dangers of drinking and driving and premarital.....oh never mind. It was surreal. I'm sitting with my buddies drinking a beer and watching myself 25 years ago. You know? They are actually older than I was at their age. The drinking age was 18 when I was 18. Rhia turns 18 on Sunday. And NO, she was not drinking...although if she was at least I would have had someone to lecture. I have known most of these kids for years, it was really, really weird to see them as grownups ordering beer. But alas, that is what they are. According to our society anyway, one of them, one of my favorite extra sons is leaving for Iraq tomorrow. He is apparently old enough to .....well, I can't even go there.

You ever have one of those moments where time stands completely still...and everything slows down and it feels like one of those movies where the camera is focused on one person and everyone around them is drinking and laughing and the one person is having a major revelation? That was me last night. Only I don't know what the major revelation is. Other than the whole they are growing up thing. And I'm not sure you can communicate all the implications of that statement into one sentence.

I am one who sees the past, the present and the future all at the same time. It's an odd place to be.

Godspeed my 'son'. We are with you and will hold you close. In our prayers and in our hearts. We love you and have faith in you. And God.

Obama

I received this email today. Now, I was not a Obama supporter, in fact, was not feeling it at all. Was very worried about the whole 'Let's pretend it's Kennedy' thing. But this is amazing. This made me cry. And this gave me hope. Here's what I received today:

Did you hear Barack Obama's incredible speech on race in America?
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It was honest and moving. You should definitely check it out-especially since the media soundbites really missed the point.
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You can watch or read the whole speech here:http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3511`
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If you're busy, here's a highlight from the speech:http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3510`

"We have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle-as we did in the OJ trial-or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina-or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words.
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"We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.
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"We can do that.
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"But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change."That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time.
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" This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.
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"This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.
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"This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit."This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.
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"I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation-the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.
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"There is one story in particularly that I'd like to leave you with today-a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King's birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.
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"There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.
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"And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that's when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.
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"She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.
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"She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.
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"Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother's problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn't. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.
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"Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he's there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, "I am here because of Ashley.""
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"I'm here because of Ashley." By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.
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"But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.
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"You can watch or read the whole speech here:http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3511aboutpresscontact ushome

The Sales Tax was Raised???

My dad called me the other day to tell me about a house for sale in North Carolina for only $89,900, 2 blocks from the Pamilico Sound, all brick and twice the size of mine. This went into the usual debate between us about political details. He is an extremely conservative Republican, I am a card carrying, bleeding heart, ......well, I'm a yoga teacher-- what do you think? In the midst of his tirade about Maryland's current governor (or the jerk I elected as he puts it) he lets fly that they raised the Maryland sales tax by 1%.

Did you know that?

I was so surprised. Not at the tax being raised. Like, where the heck have I been? Worse, I go running to all the members of my house and even the youngest who has NO interest in politics other than the whole peace and love 60s thing, she gives me a look like I'm nuts-- "Um, Mom, Duh, who didn't know that?"

I didn't. And guess what? I don't really care. Last night I decided that maybe I am completely out of touch with the world so I tried to watch the news. For about 5 minutes...or should I say...5 horror stories. Jeez. Here's what I saw:

RAPEPILLAGEMURDERSUICIDEBOMBERSECONOMYTOOMANYCATSINTERESTRATES
YIKESANDWHEREARETHEKIDSWHOWANTTOWATCHBASKETBALLGONNASLEEP?

I had to stay up and watch 2 Scrubs reruns to re-program my mind so I could sleep.

Are things really this bad? I mean, here's the deal...am I the only one who thinks that maybe the economy needs to re-stabilize because it's insane to expect it to keep going up? Really, how will our children ever buy a home if the prices keep going through the roof forever? And do you really think it's reasonable for my dad to get an electric bill of $700 to heat his house that just the 2 of them live in on my mom's salary alone? Do you ever think this current down turn is not only necessary but imperative if our society is going to survive?

My dad is buying into the panic. And I can't really blame him--he can't afford his electric bill and may have to borrow to pay it. That's insane. I was in mortgages for way too long and saw way too many credit reports to not go crazy about how awful a plan that is. But when I made some other suggestions on maybe downsizing and selling off some overstock he said the typical American response.

Which I won't say word for word but it goes something like this: No way will I make myself do without when I am entitled to everything I've ever wanted simply because I live in the greatest country in the world.

He didn't really say that.

But I am struck by the logic that says it's okay to spend billions and trillions of dollars on a war when people that have worked hard their entire life are unable to afford electricity which should be kind of a given, you know? Like health care. And food.

Ugh. I'm going back to watching American Idol. At least that makes sense. In a warped, overly judgemental way.

And yes, I could be out of touch and naive. And that may be a good plan for now.

Clearing Email

Is there anything worse than trying to clear your inbox? Well, I mean, other than illness and death and desolation?

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Jeez, if you put it that way, it seems a bit petty to complain, you know?

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Let's talk about cabinets.

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Did you know that you can MAKE your own cabinets? Me either. Well, let me clarify-- John can make our own cabinets.

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We are on phase 5 of the renovations! Last week while Sheree & I were at the Expo, Barry & John were making cabinets. I came home to this:

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well, minus the curtain and stuff on the shelves....that's womens work. Sha right. That's "I don't want to deal with what's behind the curtain" work. Let's see if I can pretty it up and pretend it's not there...

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The next night this happens:

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Dig the cacaphony of colors... and I ain't talking about the mural....
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Can I digress for a moment here and get your opinion on my husband's pants?

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And what's that lumberjack song? From Monty Python?

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Just kidding.... talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. Hey, what's that mean?

Anyway....

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Here, you'll see my best buddy waxing philosophic on the art of cabinet making....

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Or more likely, if you know my buddy, he's saying,

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"That's some bull*%$#$ right there"

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C'mon...you know it's true!

That's a beautiful thing right there.....

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And the cabinet doors aren't bad either... ba dum dum

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I have to admit.

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I really love these guys.

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So macho and cute....

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And the cabinets sort of rock, huh?

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Me and T are pretty daggone lucky.

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Here's that latest attempt to hide what I don't wanna deal with:

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Oh, how lovely it all looks...course, I'm running out of time. The "boys" are building the base cabinet for the left side tomorrow while we do the Intro workshop.....

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Can't wait to see it! And see what happens to all the stuff behind the curtain. YIKES.

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See, now wasn't that more entertaining than complaining about clearing email? Ugh. Back to work....

SpiritedSouls

One of the things I have been working on for the last oh.....15 years of my life......is building a community. It occurred to me one day as I was walking the kids home from Tulip Grove (our local school) Every day, we smiled and talked with the crossing guards, the gentleman that was always sitting on his porch stoop with the lovely rose bushes, the elderly lady at the Senior Center who would sit outside when the weather was nice and of course, all the other kids and moms walking from school. I didn't know most of their names but when you see their faces you know they are part of your community. I used to have that song from Sesame Street humming through my head:

Tell me, who are the people in your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood, In your neighborhood....
Who are the people in your neighborhood?
They're the people that you meet when your walking down the street,
They're the people that you meeeeeeet eaaaaachhhhhh dayyyyyyy!

I used to be so happy to see them all, "how you doing??? GREAT!!!!" Of course, the kids grew up and started going to other, further away schools or didn't want Mom walking them to high school so that little pleasure sort of went by the way. We joined a church and became part of that community but it is more like going to work instead of just saying "how do you do?" I love it. But it's not the same.

When Sheree, Lori & I started Spirit & Self Discovery, it was mainly for this reason. To create a space for people to build community. To hang out, to let our eyes meet and smile. Unfortunately, it was very complicated creating space so this sort of evolved into SpiritedSouls, the little partnership that Sheree & I are building. This has been tremendously wonderful. I really feel like we are doing just what I have dreamed of.... building a neighborhood of souls....a community, one in which all are welcome, all are valued and it is not exclusive....it is just a joyous space. Sort of like our Yoga space...when you walk in, everyone has gotten to know one another on a very real level and they welcome new people and eventually we all start doing yoga which sometimes feels like the commercial in the main show, you know? It's a wonderful fellowship, that's the main event in all of our offerings. I'm loving it.

Yesterday I had the bright idea that we should all begin to support one another's endeavors the way everyone has supported Sheree & I. So I created a page on my website just for our SpiritedSouls birthdays and events and pictures. I can't wait for this to grow! I think it will be really cool--sort of like our own little neighborhood newspaper where we can all keep track of each other and go to each other's stuff when we have time.

Like: Did you know Jami is singing at the Old Bowie Town Grille on March 20th? And there is no yoga that night so guess where we'll be? (It's after Maundy Thursday services, I think, I hope!) Won't it be cool to join together and cheer her on?

Let me know where YOU'LL be and when your birthday is-- I'll be happy to post it. First names only of course. I'm excited about this! I think it's gonna be great fun :)

Hey!

Whoa. What a crazy busy ride it's been. Settling in now....breath....breathing....Okay.
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I don't have glaucoma Thank God, just really thick corneas and *gasp* old age, but unfortunately Rhia is still suspect. She is testing high and her pics were not great in her left eye but since she is so young they want to wait 6 weeks and test her again in the morning to see what's really up. Nothing to be alarmed about but it does trigger the whole "how do you spell Mother? W-O-R-R-Y" I'm sure she'll be fine....I mean, look at this child, she thinks she's a three horned unicorn, honestly....it may be because she sticks paper in her eye....
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The Expo was very interesting. We met some really cool people and did Reiki on quite a few. It was just a brief hands on, send you strength kind of thing but Sheree & I were amazed at how powerful it was. We're not so sure it's our thing, the whole sit at a table sell yourself thing--but it was cool feeling like we really have a business. Our new best friend Jami, came and saved us, she brought us drinks and flowers and bars, pulled all kinds of customers our way and even made them give us breakfast! She is amazing! We were so blessed to see so many of our Spirited Souls--it was a real boost seeing familiar faces. We hopefully made some new friends or at least gave some healing to some who were in great need. We did set up a nice table, even if it was a bit scary to some.....LOL! The coordinator of the whole affair was lovely, in fact, everyone involved was lovely...it was a good day.
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We were a bit tuckered out after...had clients the next day though...it was wonderful. Met a very lovely lady who got reiki and a reading. She was beautiful. And our best buddy and sister in spirit came and got Reiki cause she is sick again and we are not happy about it so we gave her a mega dose! Pray for our bud, Lori, we want her to feel well soon.... She's such a sweetie, ran right home and brought me these Daphne flowers, my whole Spirit Room smells delightful.
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Finally, here's a picture of my tree. And God. And Me. And the Angels.
See it? Come on over and I'll show you.
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Don't forget A New Earth webcast tonight. If you haven't seen the first one, let me know and we can watch it, I have it downloaded.
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Blogger is being temperamental with pic downloading...will put them in later...sheesh.

Wild, Wild Life

2 minute update and then I gotta go:

Pray for my friends J, L, T, & B. Just send a little help along the way. Thanks!

Had a photo shoot yesterday. hahahahahaha!

Happy Birthday Carol!

Come see Sheree & I at the Living Green Mind, Body, Soul Expo at the Comfort Inn in Bowie this Saturday 9am-5pm! Woo Hoo!

Rhia & I go today to get that whole glaucoma thing taken care of.....errrgh. Keep your fingers crossed!

Breathe deep....there is tremendous energy available to you right now. Don't fight it--go with it! You have all you need, always have and you know where to look. Trust yourself. Trust your Source. Realize they are one and the same.

Did you know I have an angel in my tulip poplar tree? Me either.

Really enough now, gotta go. Clarification Later.

I love you.

A New Earth

Is anyone else reading A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle? I actually bought it as an audiobook (a concession to my lack of eyesight, errgh!) and have been listening to it. I tried to do the Oprah class last night but the internet connection jammed cause they had too many people accessing at the same time. I think that's kinda cool in a way--all the people searching for answers---and also, sort of sad....depending on the day.

I read The Power of Now a few years ago. This new book expands upon the same issues of understanding when ego is talking and when YOU are present. It's very interesting to me because of course, this is my life's work and I love hearing the message in a different way. Sort of like reading the Bible and reading the Tao and the understanding of the message being the same. Eckhart Tolle is writing the Bible, the Tao and Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck in a new way so we can be reminded of the lessons again. He speaks the same language of The Celestine Prophecy and The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, The Alchemist and The Bhagavad Gita. It's just depending on what YOU need to understand.

I have found this very difficult to hear and comprehend on a personal level right now. It's one thing to understand how other's are behaving and what they should do but quite another when you recognize yourself in the words. Especially when it's your job to help others understand. Especially when you are entrenched in a life drama of your own.

Once I said to a therapist, "why do I have to keep learning the same lesson over and over again?" She brought out beautiful Russian doll set. One by one she opened up a doll to reveal another inside, and then another and then another....until she had the baby, unclothed, ungarnished, just as the day you were born. "We create the layers as we grow, mostly as survival techniques, conditioning, a way of fitting into the society we live. As we begin to come into our own, we must peel the layers off again to reveal the beauty inside-- the source, who we really are." Each time I come up against this same drama...the same type of person over and over again, they are teaching me a deeper version of the same lesson that I need to learn.

I get it. Oh how I get it. But it's still difficult. If it wasn't, I would coast. My superior self would just let the ego keep reminding me of how wonderful I am and how unfortunate the rest of the world is and I would never have to confront the unpleasant reality of how I create drama for myself by surrounding myself with people with far more drama than I. It's the ultimate head trip. The lesson of confronting and standing up and not enabling...how tired I become of it. But oh, how much I have learned. It is so rewarding.

We had a great group at the Open Door. We did Reiki on 10 people, I had 5 for tarot and would have had more if we had time. As it was, we went over by about 2 hours! Every one seemed to have a really nice time, we met some beautiful new souls and at more than one point I had the profound experience of being in the moment and realizing it was one I have visualized over and over. The Reiki was ultra powerful-- felt it the next day as 2 of the people from the day before were in my yoga class and it was just a whizzing around the room! I feel it now.

I would not be able to do this if I didn't keep peeling off the layers and becoming who I am. No matter how difficult it is, it is not about me. Or shall I say the me who is my ego.... not the one connected to Source. The one who watches.

Get the book... you owe it to yourself. No matter where you are on your spiritual journey.

Inspiration... In Spirit

FAQ's

Here's some answers to some of those questions that keep coming up:

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What did you do with all the stuff in your garage when you made the Spirit Room?:

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What's the biggest thing on your mind right now?:


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No seriously, what goes on in that Spirit Room?:

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Who is Jenny and why does she have a place and why is she so happy all the time?:

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Look, enough kidding around. Serious answer here. Can you give us some insight on what you REALLY think of church and why we haven't seen you?:

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Oh never mind....BTW, Did Suki win the cutest dog competition?:
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You decide.