Two or three weeks ago, I was attending a service at The Center for Spiritual Living in Largo, FL and the Rev. Martin Preston (very funny man) told a joke that I’ve been meaning to share with you, and keep forgetting. Here goes:
A new minister has just moved into a small town in the midwest and is interested in increasing the attendance of his new church. While walking downtown early Saturday morning, he spots a young lad and says,
“Excuse me son, can you tell me how to get to the post office?”
The young boy replies, “Certainly sir, just go two blocks down and take a left; it’s there on your right; can’t miss it.”
“Thank you young man. Hey, do you wanna come to church this Sunday? I’m the new minister here.”
The young boy appearing to think about it kindly says, “Aww, I dunno sir . . . . . .”
“I’ll show you how to get to Heaven . . . . “, replies the minister.
“Excuse me for sayin so sir” says the boy, “but you don’t even know how to get to the post office . . . “
Sorry, I couldn’t resist! Have a good week <3 <3 <3
Patricia
www.TheGrandMasterLittleMasterSeries.com
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I’ve been on several other blogs today and the ‘law of attraction’ has come up a couple of times. I decided it would make a good topic for my post today . . . but I also really wanted to share my favorite ‘perspective’ story with you and if I did that, my post should be about perspective. Hmmm, such tough decisions for a brainless Saturday. . .
It occurred to me to break it down into two posts this week, but I didn’t want to flood your inboxes with too many of my musings; I figure one per week is just fine . . . you’re welcome. But I also realized that the two topics are so closely related, therefore I don’t’ have to make a choice. That being said let me begin by sharing one of my favorite stories on ‘perspective’ with you.
A shoe salesman, who worked for a company that wanted to expand their shoe business, discovered that he was being sent to Africa. After being there for several weeks, he received a call from his boss, asking him to report his sales.
The salesman angrily replied, “Listen boss, I’m coming home. What in the world was the company thinking? I can’t make sales here! Everyone is barefoot!” The salesman was sent home and resumed his previous duties.
About a week later, a young, energetic, new salesman was hired and sent to Africa for the same purpose. After being there for several weeks, he received a call from his boss, asking him to report his sales.
The salesman excitedly replied, “Holy cow boss! Send me 10,000 cases of shoes. I’m gonna be rich! Everyone is barefoot here! ”
Most people chuckle at this story because they hear both the truth and the humor in it. We all know that the way we ‘view’ a particular situation makes it so. We will defend that belief, we’re usually pretty attached to it, and we can find friends to support us . . . . “Yes, you’re right. Of course you can’t sell shoes in Africa . . . ”
Now I suppose you’re wondering, how is she going to tie in the law of attraction topic? Glad you asked.
If you’ve read my children’s books; The Grand Master/Little Master Series (I’m told by the experts that I should mention the title in every blog post!) you already know how I feel about the law of attraction. I feel so strongly about it that I think it should be a huge part of every child’s early education. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind, none whatsoever, that what you believe to be so, IS. You can say affirmations every day to the contrary. . . “I’m wealthy, I’m wealthy . . . but if, at a gut level, you feel poor and resigned, poor and resigned you will remain. If you think that your life stinks, it will continue to stink and nothing you can do, short of changing your perspective will change that.
But there IS hope. If you can change your perspective just a bit . . . just a carburetor adjustment, as my husband would say, . . . . and find something to have hope in; something to be excited about; something that you can really get behind and believe in, it will snowball into something greater. It’s simply the way it works.
How do I say this with such conviction? How do I know this to be so? Because I believe it. It works for me on a daily basis and the more it works, the more confident I am that it works. With this knowledge are all my days glorious? Absolutely not. Do I always have a good attitude? No way. But I’m clear that my attitude and my belief system define the quality of my days and life. I will defend that belief, I’m pretty attached to it, and I can find friends to support it.
In love and light,
Patricia
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged children's books, children's self help, law of attraction, parenting, perspective | 6 Comments »
As I search for some heartfelt words for this Mother’s Day post, I am feeling a bit ‘blank’. What I really want to convey is how much I miss my mother since her passing. When I was a little girl, she was my hero. When I was a teen, her faith and positive attitude in the face of a crumbling household had me praying that I would never be as ignorant, weak and fragile as she.
As an adult and as a mother, she is once again my hero, my role model, my friend, my strength, and I silently pray that I am as courageous and selfless as she; that I face fear and uncertainty with faith, a positive attitude, and with the grace that she did as her body failed her.
I don’t think that my own words can adequately convey the gratitude and love that I feel towards my mother any better than the poem below:
Your mother is always with you . . . she’s the whisper of the leaves
as you walk down the street.
She’s the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks.
She’s the cool hand on your brow when you’re not well.
Your mother lives inside your laughter.
She’s crystallized in every tear drop . . .
She’s the place you came from; your first home . . .
She’s the map you follow with every step that you take.
She’s your first love and your first heart break, and nothing on earth can separate you.
Not time, not space, not even death will ever separate you from your mother.
You carry her inside of you . . .
Anonymous
Happy Mother’s Day Momma,
I miss you . . .
In love and light,
Patricia
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It’s been an incredible two weeks for me; the first week anticipating my upcoming Club Med trip to Turks and Caicos, tying up loose ends to prepare for this much needed vacation . . . and the second week actually BEING there.
I feel like I was gone a month, which is always a good thing in a vacation. Time slowed down as there was nothing more to do than meander around barefoot with a cocktail in hand . . . should I sail (okay!), windsurf (nah, way too much work), play tennis (nah, don’t like tennis), read on the beach or in a cabana (this sounds good!), snorkel (definitely) . . . maybe I should check emails (can’t get a connection; oh well) . . . how about another cocktail and maybe a nap . . .
All these wonderful things aside, there were 16 of us in this group. In previous years there was typically one or two that I wish we didn’t invite. Not that they weren’t wonderful people Monday through Friday, 9-5, but get a little alcohol in them and they turn into ‘something else’. This year was different. Everyone, in their own way, added an element to the ‘whole’ that was refreshing and loads of fun.
These days, I take very little at face value and what was as equally amazing as the vacation itself, was to see just how often I pre-judge people. There were several in our group that I’d never met before, but I’d talked to them on the phone prior, getting all the details of the vacation in order. I was certain that I had a vague idea of what these people were like based on some preconceived ideas that I had; one had more money than I can ever imagine having (YOU Tony!), one was an attorney (love you Donnie). . . .
When we’re out of our daily routine and disconnected from everything associated with that (no internet, no phones), we’re stripped down to nothing more than human beings wanting to celebrate and connect with others. The non-stop laughter, dancing, late nights, dinners, etc., left us all feeling like a close family that ended with tearful goodbye’s and promises to meet again next year. We saw a woman (that would be YOU, Jill!) in our group push through a deadly fear of heights (she flew on the trapeze!) and as we watched, there wasn’t one of us without sweaty hands and accelerated heart beats. We shared in her triumph and all felt closer for the experience.
The gentleman who is an attorney used the week to ‘cut loose’ and was the best fun; not the straight laced guy I had imagined. It would not have been the same vacation without he and his amzingly sweet girlfriend. The man with enough money for three lifetimes; not only was he the most kind and gracious soul I’ve ever met, but his commitment was clearly to bettering the lives of others. He and I, along with our mutual friend Fran , closed the bar and the dance floor most every night and their contribution to my vacation fun would be hard to put into words. And then, of course, there were my incredible sisters who always keep me in stitches, and some of their adult children, as well as some really good old and new friends. Even though my niece exclaimed that she ‘wanted a new family!” as we were attempting to re-arrange chairs in the dining room to accommodate everyone’s sitting needs (what a production!), I KNOW she didn’t mean it . . . did you Kim???
On our second night there we spotted a man who was not like the rest of the vacationers. He stood off in a corner with a backpack and a journal clutched to his chest. I was weary of him because to me, he fit the description of someone who ‘wasn’t right’. It turned out that he took a liking to my best friend in CA and she, being the gentle creature that she is, took the time to get to know him; to reach out. We never lost sight of them when they would disappear to the beach to chat, cautioning her to not be so trusting, but she politely ignored us. If it had not been for her befriending Greg, the rest of us might never have gotten to know this incredible guy, who is not so different from the rest of us really. I’m certain that some awful thing has happened to him; some trauma to leave him the way he is, but if one looks deeper than the surface; beyond the ‘awkwardness’, there was a gentle man whose journal was filled with poetry that brought tears to my eyes.
We departed several days before Greg and upon leaving, he followed us to the bus that would take us to the airport. I looked out from the window of the bus and spotted him. He put his hand on his heart and extended it to us. My sister cried.
It was a beautiful week and I’m not just referring to the sun, the turquoise water, and the baby powder white sand that stretched for miles. It was about relationship and what’s possible when we’re away from the hustle-bustle of our daily lives. A little piece of that vacation still lives in my heart and was with me all last week, even though I was back to the routine. I hope I can hang on to it until the next one. Life is too short to not get away once a year to laugh, dance and just ‘be’ in relationship.
In Love and Light,
Patricia
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Some of you haven’t even read my post of several hours ago but when you do, you can add this to it. A fourth good thing happened about an hour ago. I officially have an endorsement from Marianne Williamson, thanks to my dear friend, Rev. Pat Palmer. The endorsement is :
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I’m a control freak, I really am. When I’m trying to control the outcome of any situation, I feel most at home. I didn’t say that I feel comfortable when I’m in that space, but it feels normal. Unfortunately, normal (for me) is a bit wired, stressed out, over-worked, with a ‘to do’ list that is longer than anything I can possibly accomplish within a reasonable amount of time.
That being said, I’ve had a tough week. I’m trying to prepare for a much needed vacation to the Caribbean (yeah, I know, how stressful can that be?!) with a long list of other things that need to be done before I depart. This book marketing thing has taken its toll. The control freak in me says that if I don’t DO a whole bunch of things, it will have all been a big, fat waste of time. Writing the series was effortless for me. Marketing it is something that I simply wasn’t prepared for. I didn’t sign up for this (did I?) and the mountain in front of me seems higher than I can climb. I made a decision a few days ago, with the support of my sister and a few others, to step away from it, not from a place of resignation, but from a place to take a few deep breaths and get re-centered. So I did. I plopped my body down on the bed, mid-afternoon, and took a well-deserved nap.
My husband woke me a couple of hours later to say that I’d received a package from a woman named Chris Pusateri, formerly with the International New Thought Alliance. We opened the package and there were four copies of New Thought Magazine, a quarterly publication within the New Thought community. On the outside of the top magazine was a little yellow sticky that said, “Hi Pat, we got top billing!” She bought my series and decided to write a review to submit to the magazine. Lo and behold, they printed her two column review in their Book Reviews section in their Spring, 2012 edition.
The first thing that crossed my mind (after I danced around the room!) is how interesting it was that when I made the decision to step back, something positive happened. A bit later that evening, Chris emailed me to say that her friend is doing an Affiliated New Thought Network convention later this month and has some extra space at her table, and would be happy to promote my series if I’ll send her some books. Are you kidding me?! Okay, wow. Two really good things happened! And if that wasn’t enough, she made contact again to say that in July, she’s going to Phoenix for the International New Thought Alliance Convention and again, would love to promote this series to help get it out there. Three good things!
Is all this just one big coincidence? Maybe, but I think its energy. There was a time over a decade ago that I wrote my thoughts on paper and a new form of life emerged. Something came in and swept it away and it was no longer mine, but had a journey of its own. Being the control freak that I am, it’s difficult to accept the fact that it might not unfold the way that I think it should. But I do know this: I’ve never been in control anyway, it’s an illusion; one that feels ‘normal’ to me but is senseless and it stresses me out. So I’ll keep shuffling my feet in the direction that feels right, but I’m going to work on surrender. That being said, I’m going to the Caribbean to breathe and get re-centered. I’ll post again in a couple of weeks and hopefully have a few pictures of me ‘breathing’ . . . .
In love and light,
Patricia
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
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