Homemade Ice Cream

 …And other delights! I have the custard cooling. Once it’s chilled, it’ll go into the ice cream maker. What fun! This batch is flavored with stick cinnamon—yum! The last batch had chocolate covered toffee bits—so delish!

I’d love to bake a pie to go with the ice cream, but with my air conditioning working overtime on this 100° day, that will just have to wait for better baking weather.

Aren’t I blessed to have such choices?! I have a large kitchen, for an apartment. It’s an open invitation to me to come and create. Of course, it’s also my craft and sewing room, so it does tend to get a little crowded. That’s okay!

In other news, I have emerged from a relationship which was great fun for awhile, until I could no longer ignore the sea of red flags. I am intact, I’m happy to say, but perhaps compensating a little bit with ice cream..? It’s all good. I feel strong, beautiful, and I have a sense of ease now. 

In the world of delights, I have tasted a good variety, and there’s still so much more to try! Today I am grateful for the plenitude of yumminess, and for being able to partake of so much.

Whispers of Gratitude

 Feeling grateful isn’t always a big, wide-open thing. Sometimes it’s in the small things, the quiet moments, the everyday expectations. It’s the aroma of coffee in the morning, the cool and gentle breeze of a new day, a cloud, a bird, a feeling of contentment. These are the times I want to notice and give thanks for.

I know people who allow themselves to be wrapped up in their troubles, seeing them as blockages rather than challenges. I recognize this because of my own past of being a “victim”. I wasn’t presented problems to solve, I was subsumed by them. I couldn’t find my gratitude in such a mindset.

Actress and author Annabelle Gurwich has a podcast called “Tiny Victories”. I love the very idea! What small challenge did I overcome today? What were my tiny victories? They mount up, you know, and become the armor of strength, enabling the will to move forward. Each tiny victory deserves a whispered “thank you”. Each challenge met gets the loud “Thanks!”

Today I intend to notice and express my gratitude for all that I encounter. I intend to see the small things, the usual, expected, and normally unnoticed blessings of goodness. Today I will whisper my gratitude over and over.

Calling All Angels!

 When at night I go to sleep, 14 angels watch do keep. Two my head are guarding; Two my feet are guiding; Two are on my right hand; Two are on my left hand; Two who warmly cover; Two who o’er me hover; Two to whom ‘tis given to guide my steps to Heaven.  Unattributed

This was a song I learned when I was a child in Sunday School. It was a sweet sentiment with which to drift off to dreamland. As with a lot of what I felt was childish, I consigned the sentiment to the junk heap which held Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

The belief in angels has returned to me. Sometimes they show up in much the same way as Santa and the Bunny, as humans doing kind things for others. At all times, though, I believe I have my posse of personal angels, offering encouragement as I get to live in this body temple, learning the lessons I’m meant to learn and experiencing the joys I get to encounter. 

I’m never lost; I have my team saying to me “we’ve got you, it’s alright”. In my mind, I see them as God’s Emissaries—the Personal Assistants to The Master, ensuring that I meet my lessons, experiencing my life alongside me in everything I do. 

I’m sort of going out on a limb writing this, since it really is kind of “out there”, but there you are. The thought gives me reassurance and peace. Maybe it’s my version of some of the Eastern religions which give different deities their own attributes. Perhaps the various deities are simply aspects of the Creator. Or maybe it’s similar to some indigenous beliefs about the sacredness of everything—the Dreamtime, the rocks and rivers, the plants and animals. It’s the hugeness of The Great Spirit made personal.

Anyway, that’s where my thoughts run to when I meditate and when I pray. I’m grateful, every day, for my team of 14 (more or less) Angels.

And Let it Begin with Me

 I sing the song every Sunday at my spiritual home: Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me…🎶

It occurred to me that whatever it is that I want, it must begin with me. Respect? Sure, but do I respect myself? Others? Give and take in proper balance? Am I a giver? A taker? Is it more one than the other? What can I do to even the scale? 

I want family reconciliation. Can I accept my part in the process? Can I let it unfold, or do I try to orchestrate? 

My days of being an innocent victim of everyone else’s actions are long gone. I am strong—I’ve proven that again and again, and although I could have done much better, I did as well as I was able to do at the time. I have always emerged from challenges stronger.

All I can do in any situation is to do my part. I have no say in how whatever I do or say is perceived, but, through honest dialog, my part will be revealed. I’m not in charge of whatever anyone else says or does, but I can recognize and honor my own boundaries and act accordingly. That’s my responsibility to myself. That’s letting it begin with me.

Today, I’m grateful for the song as my ear worm throughout the day: “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me. Let there be peace on Earth, the peace that was meant to be. With God as Creator, family all are we. Let us walk with each other, in perfect harmony…🎶

Living in Gratitude

I live there. I express gratitude all the time. I acknowledge the obvious, and endeavor to find the more hidden things. I express gratitude for blessings and wonders in my life, and for those in the lives of others. That practice keeps me in constant conscious contact with my Creator. I keep that relationship close, whispering “Thank You” whenever the feeling strikes.

Today I’m grateful for getting back to this blog. I’m grateful for the friends who came over to my apartment to see my work, and for those who help me every day. I’m grateful for yummy food and yummier people in my life. I’m grateful for climbing Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs all the way to the top, and for being of assistance to others in whatever ways I can.

Today I’ll go to my spiritual home, then spend time with a close friend. Fellowship abounds! I will relax into whatever comes into this day, and I will find the blessings in each. 

Today I am grateful for the serenity brought on by gratitude.

I am an Ally

 Pride Month is over, but being an ally is ongoing. I totally believe that people should be able to define themselves in whatever way they find that fits them individually. Without being hassled. Without judgement. Without repercussions. With unconditional acceptance. 

If our body temple could use a little restructuring, I’m glad people have the right to do so. We see it all the time in many, many people—hair dyed a different color, a little nip and tuck, enlargements, reductions, add-ons and more. At most of these, we hardly notice. Procedures and practices exist so that we can feel a little better and more confident. I like to use a light smear of eye shadow. It makes me feel like I’ve made an effort!

If someone is perfectly fine with everything about themselves, even when that acceptance of themselves falls outside of societal norms, bravo! In years past, so many people-so many people-were denied the right to be themselves and to love whomever they loved. I don’t believe that emerging from the closet should be an emotional ordeal for any living, breathing, human being.

There are issues which are not as cut-and-dry as what I’ve pointed out, of course. Women’s sports, anyone? No issue is black or white—the shades of gray give us things to think about. But generally speaking, I want to ‘live and let live’. Which is more harmful: denying a person governance over their own bodies due to someone’s discomfort over that choice, or demanding that we live in a Stepford world?

I am grateful for the bravery and tenacity of those who came before, and for the continuing efforts of the many who are forced to continue to fight for this basic right of owning their own dignity. For my LGBTQI  brothers, sisters, and undecideds, I am an ally.

Deliciousness

 That was the word that popped into my head when I asked for a subject to write about today. So, okay! What do I find delicious?

The weather today is delicious. There are clouds blocking out the heat, resulting in a comfortable ambiance. It just feels good to be outside, and to have my balcony door wide open. The sun peeks through from time to time, blessing the ground with each ray. Totally yummy!

My life feels good. I understand boundaries more and more every day. I am no longer living as a victim or perpetrator, because I have grown in my awareness of each. I am at peace with myself most of the time. I am learning more every blessed day about how to care for and honor this body temple in which I reside. So tasty!

My psyche is content. It isn’t throwing out bundles of angst for me to figure out. I know what peace feels like. Mmmmm!

Relationships with people are positive. I am learning more and more every day to ‘live and let live’. You do you, Boo, and I’ll do me. I don’t have to behave in ways which don’t gibe with who I am, and I get to define those ways for myself. Very enjoyable!

My spiritual life is vivid and active. I love living in concert with my Creator, listening, responding, being in partnership with rather than being subject to. Exquisite! Heavenly!

Today I am grateful for just how delicious my life is. 

Yum!