In a recent post, I mentioned my siblings and extended family. It delights me that all of my siblings are still alive and all live in Texas. This is one of the reasons I chose to move back to Texas after my husband Stu made his transition in 2012.
My siblings and I only get together once or twice a year and we are lucky enough to have some of our children join an annual gathering we have in October. However, most of our children and grandchildren have many other families, commitments and jobs that keep them away from our gathering. They are always in our hearts no matter how far they roam.
In retrospect, I made a great decision to move back to Texas and my hometown of New Braunfels after my husband's death. Believe me I had my reservations. I always say I love it here and I am glad it is not the same small town I grew up in.
One of the many things I love about New Braunfels is it has a Unity Church which I have been an active member of for nearly seven years. Through Unity I chose to travel the journey of becoming a Licensed Unity Teacher (LUT) which has led me down many interesting roads.
In addition, I am active in the community in many ways. In 2013, I became a Texas Master Naturalist and have enjoyed this outdoor volunteering ever since. I also am active on the Homeless Coalition and on the task force for the Cold Weather Shelter for the homeless. Another thing I picked back up when I moved back is being active with the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate. I even coordinated their repair ministry for a few years and now am active on their Women's Build group and their Repair Ministry. I have been volunteering with Habitat for Humanity for over 21 years.
Through all these activities and a few other fun things I have cultivated a close circle of friends. I have named these people my soul circle and I hold them close in many ways. I value their friendship, their love, their counsel and their wisdom among other things. Each one of them is a unique and gifted individual in their own right but together I think we hold each other to a higher standard and we all make a difference in our own special way.
I have no need to mention them by name but I have told each of them how special they are to me and that my life wouldn't be the same without them and they have said the same to me.
These friends may not be the same as my extended family in which I grew up in but they are some of the most special people in my life, I treasure each one of them and I could not imagine life without them in it. For many years, I have known that my life does not depend on one special relationship, a specific job or even a house but my ability to create these. I have not been interested in a real job in a long time but I know I count on my friends to be there when I need them and for me to be there when they need me.
Thank you dear friends and family for the difference you make in my life and in the lives of many others. You are a blessing and may you be abundantly blessed.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Monday, November 25, 2019
Did you grow up in a fairytale or a nigtmare?
Recently I told a close friend that my childhood was idyllic. Not perfect but perhaps as close to Norman Rockwell as possible. One of the many things that made my life fairytale like as a child is I was raised in New Braunfels, TX by a mother and a father and had four siblings. Our was a small town with German roots and values. My mother never worked outside the home but Dad got her involved in many of his business ventures.
In addition, we had an extended family of many Aunts, Uncles and cousins who were there for each other when things were good and not so good. Role models and playmates for us to model and observe family values and to hold us accountable if we stepped out of line.
Perhaps that is one of the reason I left New Braunfels when I was 18. I wanted to make my own way including my own mistakes and my own success. Looking back I made more thatn a few mistakes but like most of my extended family, we found our way and made out own path. I certainly did alright for a small-town girl with no college education, a lot of street smarts and a get it done attitude. I'll write another post someday about me winning the lottery time and time again.
These conversations have led one of my friends and I down many interesting roads discussing, among other things, the demise of the American family and the consequences of that demise. As we have discussed, perhaps one of the costs of this demise is the ever increasing suicide rate in our young people. Please feel free to offer your opinions.
Unlike me, she did not have an idyllic childhood. She grew up in the nightmare of alcoholism. My church hosts many 12 step programs and I have heard many times that addiction is a family dysfunction and one of the classic symptoms is denial by everyone in the family. Many people are helped by practicing the recovery steps offered in a 12 step program and these programs are able to help all concerned. I know she has benefited from many, many years in Al-Anon. She is a gifted coach and sponsor helping people ready to deal with the nightmare of addiction and family dysfunction.
So, no matter which environment you grew up in or somewhere in between you probably have learned many lessons from those presented. I have learned to move on and take the good with the bad and be thankful for the lessons I have learned, am learning and will learn.
I will end with a quote most commonly attributed to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin:
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.
Not a bad way to look at and experience life's journey.
In addition, we had an extended family of many Aunts, Uncles and cousins who were there for each other when things were good and not so good. Role models and playmates for us to model and observe family values and to hold us accountable if we stepped out of line.
Perhaps that is one of the reason I left New Braunfels when I was 18. I wanted to make my own way including my own mistakes and my own success. Looking back I made more thatn a few mistakes but like most of my extended family, we found our way and made out own path. I certainly did alright for a small-town girl with no college education, a lot of street smarts and a get it done attitude. I'll write another post someday about me winning the lottery time and time again.
These conversations have led one of my friends and I down many interesting roads discussing, among other things, the demise of the American family and the consequences of that demise. As we have discussed, perhaps one of the costs of this demise is the ever increasing suicide rate in our young people. Please feel free to offer your opinions.
Unlike me, she did not have an idyllic childhood. She grew up in the nightmare of alcoholism. My church hosts many 12 step programs and I have heard many times that addiction is a family dysfunction and one of the classic symptoms is denial by everyone in the family. Many people are helped by practicing the recovery steps offered in a 12 step program and these programs are able to help all concerned. I know she has benefited from many, many years in Al-Anon. She is a gifted coach and sponsor helping people ready to deal with the nightmare of addiction and family dysfunction.
So, no matter which environment you grew up in or somewhere in between you probably have learned many lessons from those presented. I have learned to move on and take the good with the bad and be thankful for the lessons I have learned, am learning and will learn.
I will end with a quote most commonly attributed to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin:
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.
Not a bad way to look at and experience life's journey.
Friday, November 22, 2019
Thanksgiving attracts our good to us
Being thankful is all around us at this time of the year with the actual holiday coming up soon.
Several years ago, when I first started going to Unity Church, I read The Quest by Richard and Mary-Alice Jafolla. The book is designed to be done over one year but of course I completed it more quickly.
What I realized as I progressed through the book is that I had been practicing Unity principles for over thirty years. It was at that time, I knew that I wanted to become a Licensed Unity Teacher (LUT) and began a three year spiritual journey to complete the requirements for licensing. A journey that has changed my life in so many ways and continues to do so.
Below is an excerpt from the book in an article about Thanksgiving:
"When we give thanks, we are really giving our blessing. Like sunflowers turning toward the sun, giving thanks turns our hearts toward our good.
Several years ago, when I first started going to Unity Church, I read The Quest by Richard and Mary-Alice Jafolla. The book is designed to be done over one year but of course I completed it more quickly.
What I realized as I progressed through the book is that I had been practicing Unity principles for over thirty years. It was at that time, I knew that I wanted to become a Licensed Unity Teacher (LUT) and began a three year spiritual journey to complete the requirements for licensing. A journey that has changed my life in so many ways and continues to do so.
Below is an excerpt from the book in an article about Thanksgiving:
"When we give thanks, we are really giving our blessing. Like sunflowers turning toward the sun, giving thanks turns our hearts toward our good.
We know the power of thanksgiving on a human, emotional plane. We all like to be appreciated and thanked. It motivates us and opens us up to do better.
On a spiritual plane, when we are sincerely thankful to God for the good we have and the good in store for us, thanksgiving takes on an even more attracting power. Like a powerful magnet, thanksgiving attracts our good to us."
On a spiritual plane, when we are sincerely thankful to God for the good we have and the good in store for us, thanksgiving takes on an even more attracting power. Like a powerful magnet, thanksgiving attracts our good to us."
A link to the full article about Thanksgiving including a four step exercise you can practice to bring more good in to your life follows:
https://www.unity.org/resources/articles/thanksgiving
In case you are interested in finding out more about the book The Quest: A Journey of Spiritual Rediscovery, here is something I found to give you an idea of what is included.
The book is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Here is a link to my Self Care Book List on Amazon which includes this book as well as several others that we used in the Self Care Class I recently facilitated at Unity of New Braunfels.
Cathy's Self Care Book List
May you and yours be blessed with a joyous Thanksgiving season and may you count your many blessings now and always. I know I do and I count my circle of very close friends and family as one of my greatest blessings today and everyday and I am also thankful for so many other blessings in my life.
In case you are interested in finding out more about the book The Quest: A Journey of Spiritual Rediscovery, here is something I found to give you an idea of what is included.
The book is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Here is a link to my Self Care Book List on Amazon which includes this book as well as several others that we used in the Self Care Class I recently facilitated at Unity of New Braunfels.
Cathy's Self Care Book List
May you and yours be blessed with a joyous Thanksgiving season and may you count your many blessings now and always. I know I do and I count my circle of very close friends and family as one of my greatest blessings today and everyday and I am also thankful for so many other blessings in my life.
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