Chatting with friends – illuminating moments

I have been blessed recently and want to share the joy. I succumbed to summer sloth and stopped posting on a continuous daily basis – okay, every other day basis. But, it also gave me time to go check on some of my every day must read blogs and what I’ve discovered is that maybe I didn’t have the wherewithal to write my own posts, but because they did, it gave me a chance to delve deep into subjects they brought forward, instead of being so focused on my own website. I found myself commenting on subjects I might not otherwise have done because they opened the door.

Wiley’s Wisdom is a must read because he writes short commentary that is wise and loving, practicing an outpouring of “loving from the ground up.” He’s a wise, small fellow recently asked to speak up for rescuing fellow dogs by such an august presence as the Red Cross. He will be a fine spokesperson for a great cause. Now, we all know – sssh, someone is doing the work for Wiley, but his persona is so strong and well thought out, he takes on substance that many a human would envy. Wiley posted three this week, which are exceptional in my view. The first was about the way we all say, “Hi, how are you?” and then frequently don’t listen or hear the response – truly, stop and hear the response. I see this happening more and more since technology encroaches claims more of our attention. In another, Wiley wrote about a bad car accident he witnessed while on his way to the dog park. He spoke of how fragile life is and how running late might just save your life. How you could be being truly hard on yourself, only to be brought up short by the realization that that car accident could have been you if you’d been on time…. I found myself writing comments to Wiley on those posts about things I held deeply in my heart that I might not say to another human being.

Another friend, Rara, wrote a post I reblogged here about how it is customary for us to order our kids to give hugs, whether they want to or not. She took a strong stance, saying she would not tell her nephews or nieces to do so, as she felt they must be allowed, taught, if you will, to honor ownership of their own bodies. Rara, on a daily basis, practices an outpouring of love on the world that is truly astounding – she is what many spiritual persons claim to be and yet, how often, do you really witness someone consciously, joyously pouring out love in to the wind, onto the ‘net, through the ethers, reaching out to unknown people, touching hearts, touching minds that need that love, that need to see how it is done? It is so rare, she earns her name of Rara. A simple glance at her site will prove why people flock to read her, but here is a perfect example. Well, shoot, I signed up on her original post and lo and behold, I received Rara’s gift in the mail. While the knitted string was simple, it was her note that slew my heart. “Huntie, sending you love & light! xol Rara” I accept, Rara! Oh yes, I do. By her actions, Rara made me stop and think about what I am sending out into the world. We each have our talents and we each respond to our Soul’s call in our unique ways. The world does not need a million engineers or 2 million fry cooks, but it sure could use more love. And, this is from someone who studies terrorists. Hmmm.

One of my favorites wrote about being robbed this past week. She writes under the nom de plume of Jaycee68, commenting on her world as she see it. She told of how violated she felt; stuff is stuff and some of it meant a lot to her, her grandmother’s wedding ring that she wore for sixty years, for example. But, it was the sensation that vandals had been through her home, her four walls, had ransacked her drawers, closets, cabinets – and taken a t’shirt someone she loved, now gone, had given her… A t’shirt, for Pete’s sake! What self-respecting thief takes a t’shirt, I ask you! But there it is, no self respect in the looters. You cannot pass on self respect. It must be learnt. A couple of days later, she wrote a note to God, asking what she should do. I suspect many of us echo this prayer. Jayce68 is a fighter/survivor who has had her share of hard knocks these past few years. She is contemplating turning her life in a whole ‘nother direction and I know many of us of the same mind. Two friends of mine, a married couple, have done what Jayce68 is contemplating and the results are stunning, stemming from damn hard sweat equity and the same desire Jayce68 has. They are kind enough to allow me to come out and assist them on various projects. This taught me that as much as I enjoy helping, this is too much for these bones on a day to day basis. Here is a photo of raising a barn on the back 10 acres:

Within the hour, another friend called just to check in, say hi. She was exhausted, but exhilarated. Why? Because the company she works for, Team Mobile, had a volunteer project she signed up for and had just completed. Apparently, Team Mobile does this once a year, but also throughout the United States, not just one state or city annually. It is so popular with the employees that 300 slots are gone in under an hour when the project is posted. Here’s what they do: Somehow, a school in need is selected and a plan is put together to answer its needs. In this particular case, the entire grammar school needed a makeover. My friend was so excited about what they had done that I might have caught some of the facts and missed others, so any errors in this story rest on me. When the Team Mobile volunteers hit the school for one day only, mind you, they painted every room, they painted playgrounds, murals, put in shelving, set up areas for the kids, creating beauty and a clean, solid learning environment, bought books, etc. and left that small corner of the world in far better shape than it was. At the end of the day, the kids presented each employee, sweating and dirty, with a carnation to say thank you. My friend sent me photos, but it was from her phone to my computer and they came in upside down – as does my brother’s short videos, so I’m not going to post ‘em here, but even upside down, it was a splendid community team thing they did.

There are many more instances of this outpouring that we may miss in the 24 hour news cycle of mayhem and murder, but because of these people, I got to taste it and feel the resonance throughout my body, heart, mind and soul. Thank you.