To the Beloved Women Before Me...

A Mother's Day Tribute

"When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be, let it be." -The Beatles, Let it Be.

Let us pray for all of those who have ever undertaken the profession of motherhood and all the women who have come before us who helped shape us into the women we are today.

This is my beautiful and spirited Mother in one of her musicals (circa 1945). She was a singer and a dancer. She loved music. She had a radio show for years. I used to listen as a baby with my beloved Grandmother Annie Niland. A tale from my childhood: When I was about three, I missed my Mother. I was precocious, to say the least. I thought if I could get her out of that radio box, she would come home. I sent Annie to the kitchen to get me some juice. While she was gone, I took the opportunity to knock the radio off the stand and break it. Annie came rushing back in and found me standing amidst the pieces of the radio. Looking up at her with wide-eyed expectancy I announced, "Mommy will come home now." She didn't come home.

Me with the said radio

Mother and I circa 1953

My beloved Grandmother Anna Rebecca Casey Niland 

(she was in a play called The Girl of the Golden West)

My Beloved Grandmother  Emma Constance Bledsoe White

My beloved Great Grandmother "Nana" Casey

My beloved Great- Great Grandmother Penrod

Today's Intention - Tell your Mother how much you love her - in person, by phone, or in a prayer lifted up to her by angels.

U Be Creative Today!

reflective...

 "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards." -- Vernon Sanders Law, 1960 Cy Young Award Winner

As we move headlong into a new decade...I have taken time to reflect about the past decade, the circumstances of my journey, and the enormous blessings that have been given to me...I share today with an open heart filled with joy as this has been time of growing into the ME I was Born to be!!! (see the previous post also)

Wow...oh wow is all I can say about the first weeks of 2010!!! I was up early this morning to receive...and I did!

What stood out above all for me at this time of my journey is:

• You can come to understand your purpose in life by slowing down, feeling your heart’s desires, and demanding to know.

During this past 20 months, God forced me to slow down by removing ALL obstacles (a job and income) and presenting me with TIME! Time to reflect. Time to mourn. Time to refresh. Time to repurpose. Time to realign. Time to reframe. Time to release. During this gift of time, I found #1-ME and #2-crystal clarity of purpose and #3-this is the time for me to soar...

"To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders" - Chuang Tzu

It has been a Two Year Retreat, mostly silent. You have followed my story here and on my other blog, Down, But Not Out (Living Beneath No Means). I had no choice but to reconnect with myself…find strength to look at what brought me to this place, find fortitude to survive, find courage to move forward, find hope to rebuild, find bits of my soul that had been scattered about the universe over the years and bring them home.

And by walking and stumbling and, sometimes even crawling my path the last two years of the decade I was able to learn my deepest passion is to communicate in a major way. A gift revealed itself at the tender age of five when I started my first newspaper. The first headline read: “Young Gril (Girl) Finds $50”…. okay, I still cannot spell, but you get the point. If I had listened then….

• If you are going to ask the questions, be sure to listen for the answers.

How many times in my life was I presented with the answers, but I did not listen? Then, a hurried life is brought completely to a halt...so I could do nothing else but listen!

During this time I have been blessed to be able to walk along the beach in my beloved island sanctuary...and capture the moments of my retreat in such magnificience...i step into my purpose, my future, my path with great peace and the completeness of knowing I am who I was born to be....

I Am (Finally) Who I Was Born To Be...

Songwriter: Audra Mae
sung by Susan Boyle

When I was a child

I could see the wind in the trees

And I heard a song in the breeze

It was there, singing out my name 

But I am not a girl

I have known the taste of defeat

And I have finally grown to believe

It will all came around again 

Though I may not

Know the answers

I can finally say I am free

And if the questions

Led me here, then

I am who I was born to be

And so here am I
Open arms and ready to stand
I've got the world in my hands
And it feels like my turn to fly

Though I may not
Know the answers
I can finally say I am free
And if the questions
Led me here, then
I am who I was born to be 

When I was a child

There were flowers that bloomed in the night

Unafraid to take in the light

Unashamed to have braved the dark

Though I may not

Know the answers

I can finally say I am free

And if the questions

Led me here, then

I am who I was born to be

I am who I was born to be.

This is the anthem for the rest of my life and for my Claiming Who I Was Born to Be Life Path Project that began in earnest in 2009. You can read about the (r)Evolutionary beginnings of this life path here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here...

With absolute clarity I have birthed, these past 10 months, an extraodinary lifestyle business model that (r)Evolutionizes the way I live and do business...it symbolizes fully The Who I Was Born to Be... as the following illustrates the birthing process over the past year...please keep reading as the news is (r)Evealed below...

storm clouds gather

"You can always tell when a man is not living in the purpose for which God created him. You sense his unrest. You get a feeling something is not quite right, even if you can't put your finger on what it is. When you are around a man who is fulfilling his calling and doing what he was created to do, you're aware of his inner direction, confidence and deep security." -Stormie Omartian, The Power of a Praying Wife

stormy seas

there are always storms in our lives...times when storm clouds gather and times when there are rough, stormy seas...when we feel lost, alone, afraid, unsure...times of unrest...unrest of the spirit, the mind and the soul...unrest about of purpose and direction...

soaring thru the storm

how you choose to deal with these storms is a view into your strength of character...you can let the storm engulf you where the undertow will pull you down or way off course...or you can soar above the storm where you are lifted up...and propelled along your journey as if on wings...

break in the clouds

and eventually there is a break in the clouds and the sun comes shining thru...and a remarkable calm embraces you...you realize that you have weathered the storm...learned its lessons...and, with deep gratitude, have grown...

sun comes shining thru

and if you are conscious enough you may even find a diamond in the stormy sky...the life lesson that was hidden within the chaos...one that strengthen you and sustains you and brings lasting gift...

diamond in the stormy sky

a simple treasure...an inner direction and confidence to set sail in the direction of your purpose...and follow that path wherever it leads because you know...you BeLiEvE that it is your destiny...

head into the sun

Please meet REP MEdia, parent company of Artistically Speaking Magazine, Radio Talk Show, Blog, and Community...

I am who I was born to be...
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the me that i am is...

be your natural, wonderful self...

Your ability to charm others may be heightened today, and you may wonder if this developing allure is the result of some modification you have made to your physical appearance or a trait that has emerged within you. More likely than not, the enchantment others feel while in your presence is the result of your having revealed your true self. If this idea leaves you feeling vulnerable today, consider that your openness can be a valuable tool in your quest to surround yourself with positive, sincere people. Your honesty coupled with your natural charisma will likely serve you well whenever you are called upon to mingle with others.

Winning over others is easy when we make a real effort to be ourselves no matter our circumstances. Though we may feel that society asks us to wear masks in our many outer-world roles, we can only find out who are true friends and trusted colleagues are by letting our guard down socially. As we interact with others without masks, allowing our natural charm to show through, the people around us are given a bird's-eye view into our souls. Those who truly care about us and respect us appreciate this new honesty and will honor it by standing by us even when others choose to distance themselves from us. We then know definitively who our real allies are and who we will be able to count on. When you choose to be yourself today, you will discover that your natural allure is enough to help you win friends and bond with associates.  -my horoscope from daily ohm

as i step more fully into my authentic self and embrace the path i have been led to follow, i find there is grace and ease to the former confusion and chaos...i have been open, or shall i say opened, during the past two years...layer after layer of protective coating has been peeled back and has slipped away...and, gradually, the me that i am is...

this week at sunrise by the ocean

the following post from September 2007 talks about the beginning of this two years transitioning period...and how my life, every event and every day, is stacked on each other like alter stones...


Fellow My Sacred Life journeyer Milton Brasher-Cuningham here wrote Saturday of author Madeleine L’Engle's thoughts about "being every age you’ve been at the same time, life stacking itself up like altar stones, our experiences singing out in chorus rather than speaking one at a time." It so touched my soul at this moment...

Do you feel every age that you have been? I deeply feel that stacking of my life...layer upon glorious layer...day upon day...year upon year...age upon age...growing...joining...fusing into the blessed woman I am today.

It is amazing how one statement can touch our heart...Milton, and Madeleine through him, reached out and touched my soul so completely...IT MAKES SENSE...so much sense that I feel enriched and wise and blissfully stacked...like the metaphor of the alter stones of my life...one resting upon another...stacked purposefully and lovingly by my creator...not straightly stacked...or even neatly stacked...how ever they are stacked, they form me...just as I am...strong yet, fragile...ME!!!

read the entire post

Sabbath song for a nation of devout consumers...

By Wendy Francisco c2009 Crack O' Noon Music ASCAP Download "God and DoG" gifts, t -shirts, and free wmv file at www.GoDandDoG.org.

 

The Long Lost Silent Night

 it was a foggy sunrise this morning

by Bill McKibbon...read the rest of the article here and visit my hundred dollar holiday website here...

But that’s not the real culprit. Much more, it’s the way all the noises that we choose to listen to have infiltrated our minds. We’re caffeinated, buzzed, wired, plugged-in. In one recent survey, only 19 percent of Americans said they wanted a "more exciting, faster-paced life." Excitement can’t excite us anymore.

What can excite us – what can make us salivate the way a circus could make some Kansas farm boy salivate – is the prospect of a lull, an interlude. Stillness scares us (that’s why the TV goes on when we walk in the hotel room) but it attracts us, too. If there’s one thing we’d really like from Christmas, I think, it’s a little of that "season of peace" that the greeting card writers are always promising. It’s one of the reasons "Silent Night" is the all-time favorite carol. There’s a moment when we sing it each year at the end of the Christmas Eve service, with the lights out and everyone holding a candle that frames their face with soft light, and that marks for me the absolute height of Christmas.

If there’s one way in which the world has changed more than any other since 1840, one thing that’s truly different about our lives, it’s that we’ve become such devout consumers. That consumption carries with it certain blessings (our lives are long and easy by any historical standard) and certain costs (first and foremost the damage it causes to the rest of creation). But the greatest cost may be the way it’s changed us, the way it has managed to confuse us about what we really want from the world. We weren’t built just for this life we find ourselves leading – we were built for silence and solitude, built for connection with each other and the natural world, built for so much more than we now settle for. Christmas is the moment to sense that, the moment to reach for the real joys.

I am challenging myself and others to create A Hundred Dollar Holiday this year...

A Hundred Dollar Holiday - How To Create a Homemade Christmas

I have updated my Squidoo Lens...click the above link to get tons of information on creating a beautiful holiday celebration for less than $100.

You want to make a memorable Christmas holiday for your family but you have no idea how to do it! We will explore ways to make a beautiful Christmas memory without spending a lot of money.

I have always been a make it, take it kind of person. There will be how-to's, ideas, recipies, videos, and much more. New stuff will be added daily...so chack back often!



angel art by Rebecca E. Parsons (Cre8Tiva)

Please share a favorite homemade idea, your family holiday traditions, or special things you do on Christmas Eve or Christmas day in the guestbook at the bottom of the page!

"So the reason to change Christmas is not because it damages the earth around us, though surely it does. (Visit a landfill the week after Christmas.) The reason to change Christmas is not because it represents shameful excess in a world of poverty, though perhaps it does. The reason to change Christmas - the reason it might be useful to change Christmas - is because it might help us to get at some of the underlying discontent in our lives. Because it might help us see how to change every other day of the year, in ways that really would make our whole lives, and maybe our entire 365-days-a-year culture, healthier in the long run." Bill McKibbon - see his book below...read the rest of the article here...

MERRY  CHRISTMAS  EVERYONE!

What Kind of Dame goes downtown in her PJs...

this quirky dame is going downtown to historic fernandina beach this morning for the black friday pajama party... during the Thanksgiving Weekend my city (America's 2nd oldest city) holds the popular Pajama Party Sale & Contest...held annually on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Shoppers are encouraged to dress in their favorite pajamas, fuzzy slippers, and other assorted sleepwear and stroll along Centre Street and throughout downtown Fernandina Beach, exploring the eclectic shops, local attractions and eateries. Pajama-clad shoppers will enjoy deals and discounts, along with fresh juice, coffee and pastries to fuel their shopping spirit. Shoppers who wish to be eligible for “Best Dressed Individual Shopper in Pajamas” and Best Dressed Shopping Group in Pajamas” must wear their pajamas (of course!) and have a free photo taken at the judges booth.

Santa Claus will arrive at 2 p.m. at the Fernandina Harbor Marina aboard the Ye Olde Pirate charter boat and all are invited to welcome him to town

Your Score: Katharine Hepburn

You scored 23% grit, 28% wit, 38% flair, and 23% class!

You are the fabulously quirky and independent woman of character. You go your own way, follow your own drummer, take your own lead. You stand head and shoulders next to your partner, but you are perfectly willing and able to stand alone. Others might be more classically beautiful or conventionally woman-like, but you possess a more fundamental common sense and off-kilter charm, making interesting men fall at your feet. You can pick them up or leave them there as you see fit. You share the screen with the likes of Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, thinking men who like strong women.

take you Dame test here

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tears thru an e-mail...

it was a foggy gray morning at my beloved ocean...you could barely see the surf...but i could hear it as i walked in silence this morning...

why do i say tears?

i listened to a teleseminar tuesday evening by a young man no older than my youngest sons... he touched my soul and gave me some very useful information to use in my mentoring program...he also offered his $2000 program for a free 30 trial.

he made a comment about his offer on facebook and i responded that "this is a fab offer and program...someday for me..." because i wanted my friends to see the offer...

someone came back with a respoonse..."Rebecca WHAT????!!!! I must only assume you're not a coach. If you are what are you saying "Someday". It's completely free. There's no risk. If it doesn't work, return it. Period."

to which i responded with my heart..."it's an ethical struggle... would not be true to my spirit by taking something i would not be able to pay for...just because i can... but i believe in the program so strongly that i wanted to share it with my friends...my time will come..."

the young man responded..."If you can't afford it right now, then you really need it right now. You can get clients from using it and then use the new client income to pay for it."

he really has faith in his program and i almost relented and ordered it...i decided to sleep on it...then this morning the young man sent out a e-mail entitled...

"I can't afford it" (how to win the client anyway)...

guess who he used as an example? with a transcript of our exchange...i really tried to look at it from his point of view but the tears would not stop flooding down my cheeks...gray-sunless is where my spirit has gone...then a dear, dear friend wrote this to me:

There is no way you can explain your path to someone who isn't on the same path as you are.

and therein lies the truth...

a nature vignette from this morning's walk...just as i found it...a feather and a heart shell

the best party of the Universe: LIFE

my friend, Juan Reyes Florido, write this on facebook today...

We have been invited to the best party of the Universe: LIFE. Enjoy it and Help others to enjoy it...

ghosts and panic attacks do not make for a good night's sleep...

ghosts and panic attacks interrupted my sleep last night...yuk!!! at 1:50 am i awoke terrified, with a full-blown panic attack...have not had one for a long time now...then at 5:50 am, i was awake petting the dog, my kitchen light came on and went off...and the motion detector light came on...for some time now the light in my bathroom will turn on when nobody is in there...i joke about there being a ghost...is it a joke? or is it my guardian angel?

so i was on the beach by 6:30 this morning...it was still very dark and i walked in the light of the moon...my reflection on the wet sand beneath my feet...

6:30 am walk

the great blue heron was the only other being on the beach at this moment

i walked on in silent prayer...wanting some comfort...and i remember...when life seems to be 'falling apart' things could actually be 'falling together'...

i keep reminding myself that i am safe, and my situation is under the perfect control of Divine providence and universal order...i try to only infuse loving thoughts and emotions into the situation to ensure that the highest possible outcome flows effortlessly to and through me...adapted from Dorren Virtue

the sunrise

how big you 'perceive' a problem to be may be actually BE the problem...

When fear comes, expect the opposite...faith to rise up. When symptoms attack your body, expect the opposite-God's healing power. When sadness attaches itself to you, expect the opposite-joy to flood your being. When lack comes in, expect the opposite-God's provision. When confusion comes, expect the opposite-God's peace. When darkness covers you, expect the opposite-God's light on you. -Martin Riding

the heron on my way back down the beach...my companion in the first light of day

"In the words of an old Irish prayer: Three wishes I ask of the King when I part from my body: May I have nothing to confess, may I have no enemy, may I own nothing! Three wishes I ask this day of the King, ruler of suns: May I have no dignity or honours that lead me into torment! May I not work without reward before Christ! May God take my soul when it is most pure!" -Sacred Space

a surprise when i looked at my pictures

i had captured a dragonfly purely by Divine accident

a gift to remind me that even when i feel alone...i am not alone...

====================

i am expecting a miracle...

i joined the FUN-ellenge with Heather Picken

join us here:

http://summitforwomen.ning.com/page/i-create-miracles-funellenge

making peace with my today will improve my future…

vultures after my spirit

for some time now i have felt as if vultures were after my spirit...it seems that they are coming from every direction...yes, it seems that way....

Making Peace with My Today Will Improve My Future... It may sound odd, but the fastest way to get to a new-and-improved situation is to make peace with your current situation. By making lists of the most positive aspects you can find about your current situation, you then release your resistance to the improvements that are waiting for you. But if you rail against the injustices of your current situation, you hold yourself in Vibrational alignment with what you do not want, and you cannot then move in the direction of improvement. It defies Law. In every particle of the Universe, there is that which is wanted - and the lack of it. - Abraham

Excerpt from from Abraham Hicks, The Vortex Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships

so i make peace with my today...and i will do it again tomorrow if necessary...and each day that follows for my spirit still shines...it cannot help but shine as i choose to live fearlessly and consciously...and love...

may our collective lights shine brightly today....

"Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." -Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"

unrest...thoughts on living your purpose

storm clouds gather

"You can always tell when a man is not living in the purpose for which God created him. You sense his unrest. You get a feeling something is not quite right, even if you can't put your finger on what it is. When you are around a man who is fulfilling his calling and doing what he was created to do, you're aware of his inner direction, confidence and deep security." -Stormie Omartian, The Power of a Praying Wife

stormy seas

there are always storms in our lives...times when storm clouds gather and times when there are rough, stormy seas...when we feel lost, alone, afraid, unsure...times of unrest...unrest of the spirit, the mind and the soul...unrest about of purpose and direction...

soaring thru the storm

how you choose to deal with these storms is a view into your strength of character...you can let the storm engulf you where the undertow will pull you down or way off course...or you can soar above the storm where you are lifted up...and propelled along your journey as if on wings...

break in the clouds

and eventually there is a break in the clouds and the sun comes shining thru...and a remarkable calm embraces you...you realize that you have weathered the storm...learned its lessons...and, with deep gratitude, have grown...

sun comes shining thru

and if you are conscious enough you may even find a diamond in the stormy sky...the life lesson that was hidden within the chaos...one that strengthen you and sustains you and brings lasting gift...

diamond in the stormy sky

a simple treasure...an inner direction and confidence to set sail in the direction of your purpose...and follow that path wherever it leads because you know...you BeLiEvE that it is your destiny...

head into the sun