God

Thanksgiving – In Poverty and Abundance

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English: "The First Thanksgiving at Plymo...

English: “The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth” (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tomorrow we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Whether you live in abundance or in poverty, one thing is for sure – you will be thinking about “giving thanks.” The mere act of thinking about this day that we celebrate makes us ponder about the “state of our lives.” Whether you are thankful or not for your current situation has nothing to do with the level of satisfaction you derive from it.  Whether you live in abundance or poverty, your mind will reach for the file that reads “I am thankful for …” There must be something you are thankful for, just one thing.

I am thankful for many things in my life now, as well for many in the past. The future is not here yet but I aim to be grateful for it as well. When I asked myself, “What are you most grateful for and why?” I came to a halt. I could name many things I am thankful for, but I could not settle on naming just one – “the one.” Then, the answer became clear. The thing that I am most thankful for is the present second, the now. Why? Because without it, without the awareness of it, all the other things disappear from mind. It is in that second that I am alive, processing thought, that I can think of my wonderful husband, my cats, my family, friends, and all the good things around me. It is in that second, in the now, that I can experience life through my senses and brain. The scent of a traditional thanksgiving dinner, the sounds of holiday music, the pine cone candle aroma … so much to take in.

On the other side of things – the misery side – your senses and brain are probably processing different information. Maybe hunger, or pain, or heartache … so much to take in. The same milliseconds of Now, in misery and abundance become “the one thing to be grateful for” when we become one with life, with the miracle it is, beyond physical barriers. It is then that we become so grateful for the experience … just the experience.

To all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving Day, I wish you a wonderful and happy day, and to the rest of you, I wish a wonderful and happy NOW!

Perseverance – Is it Worth the Pain?

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Tape measure

Tape measure (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is it worth it? I have asked this a few times. It is a question that one time or another will cross your mind and heart. The answer to it is as individual as we are. It comes down to not so much the Why or What or even When but of How Much. How much do you want something (Fill the blank)?  This is where the answer is. I have read countless of books on achieving goals/dreams and many of them focus on the Why. Find your why and you will find a reason. This is true; however, sometimes a reason is not enough, no matter how powerful. Sometimes it comes down to how much you want something, and is it worth the pain to achieve it. By pain I mean all the things you will have to do, modify, change, refuse, sacrifice, endure … to persevere to get what/where you want.

Is it a matter of time? To each its own, time is irrelevant, I have found (although necessary as a measure in the physical). It is my perception of time that matters. How long am I willing to keep on going, on believing, on working towards this or that, on waiting, on just being there, on trying, on moving on, on … How much am I willing to give? How much of my time, my energy, my effort, my hope, my faith, my focus, my interest, my … How much? How much longer will I … persevere? Is it worth it? The answer is as individual as you are. How Much for you is all about You. You, Me, we are in constant evolution. You, Me are one and of the same. It adds another layer, doesn’t it?

Change is Transformation

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Yesterday, I was thinking about all the themes in Moonlit Valley, my first novel. Throughout, I could identify many underlying topics such as love, trust, spirituality, the paranormal … and many others; however, I wanted to identify a core theme, and I think that if I was going to select only one theme, it would have to be the idea of Change.

In Moonlit Valley, the idea of change carries all the other themes, and it makes itself present throughout the entire story, up to the ending.  Change is never easy. It may be good or bad, but never easy. Why? Because it shakes our foundation, causing us to react, and pushes us forward. Even when we resist change, we have to react to it – whether for better or worse.

When change manifests (or we bring it about), inevitably, we become engaged in body, mind, and spirit, as well as emotionally. Our reaction and action will engage those aspects in different degrees, and how we deal with each part, will propel or slow us down.  Many times, we “hover” but not necessarily resist change; sometimes, hovering is what we need – a truce – to be able to proceed with the proper action for us.  Whether that time is short or long does not matter, as long as we recognize the need for it. It is after the truce, that transformation occurs.

Because change is never easy, we should prepare our mind, body, and spirit for it and through it. We do that by minding each aspect, and doing what is needed to promote its wellness, as an example, you would nourish your body by eating well, healthy foods, and exercising it, and avoiding unnecessary stress situations, patterns, or habits. Nourishing the mind and spirit as well, will ease transformation. Many times, change brings with it a sense of spirituality or spiritual transformation, of growth and connection. How we deal with change, during the transformation, will determine our growth, or stagnation – but it is always up to us. We are in control of our emotions.

I leave you with a small excerpt from Moonlit Valley.

“Loss changes your perception of things. It sweeps the hallways of your mind and dusts off your most precious memories. It forces you to open the doors of rooms closed for a long time and peer into your soul, looking for the last ray of hope, of faith. The hope you desperately need now, knowing that at one point, you had put it somewhere and forgotten about it. When you find it, you grab a hold of it, tight, fearing that when you wake up tomorrow, it could be gone. Tomorrow arrives and you realize that although in a faint state, it is still there, and you hold on to it again.” – Rose Carrigan 

MOONLIT VALLEY

MOONLIT VALLEY

I AM

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The Whirlpool Galaxy (Spiral Galaxy M51, NGC 5...

The Whirlpool Galaxy (Spiral Galaxy M51, NGC 5194) is a classic spiral galaxy located in the Canes Venatici constellation. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I will be away from this blog for this week. I will leave you with this inspirational piece.

 

I AM

I am the one who learns,

who loves, who plays,

who works, who ponders,

who enjoys, who cares, who ignores,

who makes her (his) point, and stands strong.

I am the one who seeks spiritual nourishment.

I am all that, and more.

The Lemons of Life

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English: Lemons Español: Linomes

English: Lemons Español: Linomes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If life gives you lemons, you either go with the rest and make lemonade, or you play with them, juggle a few minutes, make tea, make a pomander/potpourri with them, or whatever it is that fits your lemon best.

I thought that we were all a part of everything, but I realized that this only made us a piece of the puzzle. Today, I understood that it is all a process, and we are all it. We are the process, not just part of it. Somehow lemonade seems boring now.

 

A Symphony of Human Comfort – The Magic of One in Many

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The Antennae Galaxies are undergoing a collisi...

The Antennae Galaxies are undergoing a collision that will result in their eventual merger. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have you ever gotten the right words of comfort when you needed them? Has the right book suddenly came into your hands when you were looking for answers or pondering an issue, deeply looking for some comfort? Somehow, it seems that we experience these occurrences when we seem to have lost our hope, or when our mind/heart is experiencing turmoil, and need to find a little ray of hope or “something” that will point us in the right direction, as our life compass has undergone a little interference. When we happen to find that ray of light, we feel comforted, as well as grateful. Grateful for the ones who have written the words that seem to make so much sense today, as sometime ago. It is like a symphony of human comfort that is as old as we are, that transcends time, space, culture, race … the right words at the right time. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1

We are part of everything, and everything in us, a concept that for some is difficult to grasp, and that is understandable. Many times, I see a connection in everything that surrounds me. It is in those little moments of serendipity that I feel that connection stronger. It is when the works of someone who lived many years or centuries ago, happen to touch my soul today, and offer insight – whether spiritual insight, or one of those “aha” moments, when my questions seem to have been answered. It is then that I understand that we are one in many. As if our collective knowledge comforts our collective souls. We are part of a greater process, each one contributing in perfect time and harmony, each one influencing one another.

I leave you with a poem that I wrote sometime ago – “One in Many”

One in Many

On this day I shall wish

many blessings, harmony

When the night gives in to day

and the day nestles the night,

we will be as one in many.

Shine your light for it will be

as the beacon one will see

Always seek your love to give

without measure, plenty and free.

As you give you will receive,

one in many it has been.

Me, You, It, one and the same,

Love, One Source, is One in many.

As you wish it will be done,

may you wish, joy, peace, and love

For it returns the wish to wisher,

two ten fold, as one in many.

And the Winners Are …

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Congratulations to the three winners of a paperback copy of The Dinorah Chronicles – Ramblings of the Spirit! The winners are Marisol Lopez, Maria A Calixto, and Grace Rhema.  Please let me know your address, so I can mail your copy 🙂  I hope that you like it.  Thank you to all of you who liked my author page.

Here is a couple of videos that I found interesting to share.

 

 

Amazing, right?

 

Ramblings of the Spirit is available through Amazon.

Ramblings of the Spirit Giveaway

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I will be giving away three copies of Ramblings of the Spirit, the first book of the trilogy The Dinorah Chronicles.  To enter for a chance to win one of the three copies, just like my Facebook page (link at the right of the screen on this blog) and that is all you have to do.  I will announce the three winners on May 20, which is the birth date of the person to whom I have dedicated this book – my maternal grandmother.

Ramblings of the Spirit is a story about the conflict between Duty, Friendship, and Love. In this paranormal romance, Dinorah Sandbeck, an introverted young librarian, resents her Human-Anarth origins and must find a way to fulfill her birthright duty while keeping the secret. As she learns the Anarth ways, she must follow the teachings of an ancient tome, but she falls in love with James Casey, a journalist, and she struggles to keep her secret safe. She must learn to fight her archenemy Hael and The Other Side, but most of all, she must fight herself. In this battle of Self, Love, and Duty, winning is the least of her concerns.

Excerpt – “I picked up the book again and slowly placed it on my bed. I was not sure if opening it or let it be. I laughed at myself. The impression of the dream was so real in my mind that I thought I felt the book’s heartbeat. I turned to go to the kitchen when I heard a thump. I looked back; the book had opened. This time, I mustered the courage to look at the page. It was the page of the boy and the serpent; however, the image had changed. Now, I was looking at my dream. Spilled all over the ground were human hearts; next to the boy, I saw a key, and next to it a heart with wings that seemed to bleed. I grabbed the loupe from the nightstand to inspect the picture. There were initials printed on the heart – DS. What could it mean? Only one thing came to mind – Dinorah Sandbeck” – Chapter 21 – The Thump of the Bleeding Hearts.

 

Book trailer

 

 

 

That was just a bit about the book, and here is a picture of what the lucky winners will be getting – a copy of the book and bookmarks.  If you want the chance to win a copy, please follow the link on this blog to like my Facebook page and enter the giveaway.  Ramblings of the Spirit is available in ebook or paperback through Amazon.

 

THE DINORAH CHRONICLES - RAMBLINGS OF THE SPIRIT - Book 1

THE DINORAH CHRONICLES – RAMBLINGS OF THE SPIRIT – Book 1

 

🙂 Cheers and Good Luck!

 

 

 

Why Am I Here?

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I am sure that at one point or another we ask this question to ourselves.  It is the big question, at the brink of figuring out existentialism, our own, our desires, our goals, but no – it is more than that, the big Why.  But maybe that is not the only approach, or even the right approach; maybe, it is better to know that WE ARE HERE.  Yes, we are here and what you do with your time here is up to you and no one else. Do you really need a why to realize it? Or, do you dare to realize that YOU ARE HERE, and that in itself is one of the greatest discoveries and mysteries.  Dare to dream, but dare to accept that the infinite lives in you and you are here, in the infinite, while you try to figure out why.  Once you accept this, the why will be secondary to the greatness that you heart will experience, to the deep communion with all it is, and all it is inside you, and all is everything.

I came across this awesome NASA Timeless Earth video posted by youtuber boatright.  Watch it, and pay attention at how you feel when you are watching, and enjoy it because yes, you are a part of all that – of everything. All I can say is that I am glad that I AM HERE.

The Dinorah Chronicles – Ramblings of the Spirit

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I am very happy to tell you that The Dinorah Chronicles – Ramblings of the Spirit (Book 1 of the trilogy) is available.  Here is a bit about it.

Dinorah, an introverted young librarian, resents her Human-Anarth origins and
must find a way to fulfill her birthright duty, while keeping the secret. As she
learns the Anarth ways and follows the riddled teachings of an ancient tome, she
falls in love and struggles to keep her secret. She must fight her archenemy
Hael, and The Other Side, but most of all, she must fight herself. In this
battle of Self, Love, and Duty, winning is the least of her concerns.

You can find The Dinorah Chronicles – Ramblings of the Spirit in paperback edition here or through Amazon here.  At this moment I am not offering it via Smashwords. Remember that you can always download a free kindle app from Amazon to your computer, if you don’t have a kindle. In addition, you can download the novel on PDF format as well.  For more information, you can always visit the novels tab on this blog.

Here are pictures of the front and back covers.  I hope you like them.

Cover for Ramblings of the Spirit (The Dinorah Chronicles) - Girl Image by Lunagirl Images. Design by Maria Antonia Diaz

Cover for Ramblings of the Spirit (The Dinorah Chronicles) – Girl Image by Lunagirl Images. Design by Maria Antonia Diaz

backcover design by MAD

back cover design by MAD

 

I am working on book 2 of The Dinorah Chronicles trilogy – The Book of Sharon, and hoping to publish it before the end of this year.