A Happy Easter

I spent Easter Sunday with my son, Lou, his wife, Colleen and their baby girl, Ella. The entire day was a total delight. It started with an early morning drive from Long Island to MA. Then, spending time with my son and his family. What a good son his is, as are my other son and my daughter. I am indeed blessed to have such fabulous kids. They are bright, talented, articulate, successful and loving. I could not ask for more.
My son, Lou and his family live on a beautiful street inhabited by it seems family after family with young kids. Their tradition is to have an Easter Egg Hunt on Easter morning at about ll:30. The whole block participated, parents providing and hiding colorful plastic eggs filled with goodies and kids waiting patiently inside until the appointed hour when the hunt began.
It was an opportunity for my son and his wife to meet many of theie new neighbors, havng been shut in most of the cold, stormy winter with their infant. The whole event was a warm, friendly experience. It was such an example of what can happen in a community when a few folks take the initiative to make something good happen. So often we wait for the other guy to get the thing started.
Photos were taken, dogs petted, mimosa's drunk (in moderation) eggs found and a great spirit of community was experienced by the whole block. What a nice place to live.
I think I'll organize a party for my neighbors real soon.

Quietly Serving

Over the years through my association with many different groups I have noticed something inspiring that I want to bring up here. I have seen many, many good people doing good for others in their communities quietly, without any fanfare or applause.
These are people who take their free time and volunteer. It might be at the local food pantry, the local VA Hospital or nursing home. They may never get an award, but that's not what they are looking for. They just quietly do good for others, giving of their time and talent so that someone else's life might be better.

As Mother Teresa said, "We are not all called to do great things. Rather, we are all called to do things with great love."

A Beautiful Spring Thought

Where You Tend a Rose, A Thistle Cannot Grow
Frances Hogson Burnett
The Secret Garden

We live in a world full of thistles and we must spend a lot of effort navigating through them. Tending roses, literally and figuratively, takes effort too. But it’s a different kind of effort, one that is energizing and enlightening. We can create beauty wherever we go, whether it’s a smile, a friendly greeting, a truly looking at someone, or just a mindful moment.

As we tend our roses we cultivate all that is good in the world: thoughtful focus, loving kindness, reaching out in word and deed, reaching into ourselves to find our own answers. These kind of actions extricate us from the briar patch of our lives and remind us that life is worth, not only living, but enjoying.

With a heartfelt wish that you genuinely enjoy your Spring!

This came to me from Dr. Duffy Spencer, a social psychologist from Nassau County. Check her out at her website, www.DrDuffy.com. She sends out an occaional thought like this. Sign up and get her uplifting insights in your email box. She interviewed me a couple of years ago on her radio show, "Just Relationships". You can tune in to her show on WHPC, 90.3 on Wednesday 3:30pm, Friday 11:00am and on Sunday at 9:30am.

Thanks Dr. Duffy. Keep up the good work.

A Challenge

Today I was challenged by the phone company to maintain my God-Consciousness and my Simple Happiness mindset. Most of the time I did OK. I was called on to not take things too seriously and try to be in the moment. That's what we need to do when feeling the urge to lash out in frustration at the person at the other end of the phone. "Breathe, Jim, breathe" I said to myself. In the grand scheme of things is this really worth getting upset about. Will it really matter a year from now.

Practicing meditation and mindfulness when things are going well gives us the edge and experience to draw upon when we are squeezed. What's inside us comes out. It was a good practice and lesson for me today. I passed, not with flying colors, but with a better grade than I would have received a couple of years ago.

Everything I Do Is a Prayer (cont.)

After I wrote my last blog post I thought about it, as I tried to understand that everything I do is a prayer. By maintaining a focus on my every action, what I am really doing is living in the present moment. The results are the same. I feel grateful for all around me. My confidence soars, my ability to be compassionate becomes easy and obvious. My life is filled with Peace and Joy

As I wrote at the end of my book, Simple Happiness, It doesn't matter if I come from a place of God-Consciousness and arrive at Peace and Joy, or I begin by striving for a place of Peace and Joy and arrive at God-Consciousness. The two lines can't help but intersect and intertwine.

Step back and experience the joy of the ride.

Everything We Do Is a Prayer

When we truly understand our relationship with God, we understand that our every action is a prayer. If we could only live our lives in that context. How things would change. We would be uplifted by this God-consciousness all day long. Our thoughts would always come back to peace and joy. Our gratitude would be overflowing. Our compassion would light up the lives of others. Our positive energy would be contageous. Confidence would replace fear. Trust would replace suspicion. Love would fill our days.

Tomorrow morning upon awakening bring the tought that "My every action is a payer" to mind. Bring that thought to mind as often as you can during the day. Little by little, day by day, you'll be on your way to becoming a saint.

Abundance

The abundance of the Universe is like the ocean. We can go down to the ocean to receive our share of its abundance every day armed with a tea cup or a dump truck. It's our choice. It makes no difference to the ocean what we bring. It will be the same vast ocean speading as far as we can see whether we take a cup full or a dump truck full.
The size of the container we bring to the ocean is often a reflection of how worthy we feel to partake in the abundance of the universe. Some of us feel only worthy enough to full up a tea cup. That's too bad. The Universe is ready to give as much as we can take. It is we who decide to take so little. Try bringing a container that is slightly bigger than the one you brought yesterday. The Universe invites us to share in its infinite abundance. It's up to us to accept that invitation.

Celebrate Your (little) Successes

Don't be too hard on yourself. Accept your shortcomings but don't focus on them. Shortcomings are part of being human. Argue for your limitations and they are yours. Rather, focus on what is going right in your life. Celebrate your successes, even the small ones. Congratulate yourself when you catch yourself being kind. Feel good about passing on the opportunity to contribute to petty gossip. Notice when you compliment your spouse and kids. Consciously nod hello to passersby. At the end of the day review what you did right. Tomorrow will be another opportunity to spread joy and kindness to your world. Tomorrow will be another opportunity to expand your world.