Spirituality

#7 What does the word Spirituality mean to you?

To me, I feel very spiritual but not very religious. I am not on board with the heaven and hell thing or believing in a book from years ago to be interpreted differently by many who read it.

I believe there is something greater than myself. I find more peace and spirituality in nature than I ever have in a church. I am blessed and thankful. It is uncomfortable for me to think that there is a "God" out there that would send people to hell for any reason. I was taught from an early age that God was all forgiving. I like to think that the Godesses and Spirits out there are just as forgiving and non judgmental .   I do believe in Karma ..what you put out in the world comes back to you. Good and Bad.

With all of that said...have a blessed day!

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

#3 in the book "101 Journal Questions for Women" by Tony Robinson
What is the greatest lesson you have ever learnt?

Something my mother has been saying to me as long as I can remember "Don't sweat the small stuff" and in the phrase made famous by the movie Frozen...LET IT GO.

I know this was something that I wasn't very good at for much of my life prior to around age 35 maybe...so it gets easier with getting some maturity under your belt..or it did for me.  
My ex would tell me "It will all shake out" and 9 times out of 10 whatever I was working myself up about would "shake out" and be nothing after all.

The serenity prayer comes into play here too...it's all about learning to accept what you can and can not change.

Question # 1
Question # 2

Cassadaga , Florida

I think it was around July that I first heard of Cassadaga FL. I was out to dinner with a group of friends and we were talking about Mediums when one or two of them mentioned Cassadaga. I knew it was somewhere that I wanted to go but I just filed it away. It was still to fresh off of losing my dad to really be in a mind set of thinking about reaching out to him that way.

A few weeks ago Vic recorded a documentary or something on Cassadaga. It was fascinating and I knew that I really wanted to make the trip up there..and soon! 

This past weekend we did it. We packed an over night bag because we planned on hitting Mount Dora and didn't want to have to drive back too late (It's about a 3 hour drive from our home)   

We took off around 8:30 . I took Hersch with us. I had an open mind but I really wanted the medium to mention the bear. 

We pulled into Cassadaga and drove around for a few minutes before we found a parking place near the bookstore. Vic mentioned a feeling of peace immediately that stayed with us during our entire day. The people that we encountered were very calm and welcoming. Vic described the woman that helped us in the bookstore as ethereal. On the show we watched I had learned that there would be a dry erase board with the Mediums names and numbers on it and you would call and set up a reading if you wanted. As Vic walked around the bookstore I was drawn almost immediately to the board in the back. There were about 10-12 names on the board. The instructions to the right of the board said to go with your instinct, keep an open mind thinking about the person you want to come through. The first name on the list was Pauline Gold. I looked at her name but felt strange about calling the first name I saw. Under the board was a collection of many business cards for the Mediums. The one I happened to pull out first was Pauline. That was enough of a sign for me. 

I tried to get Vic to call her but she felt it was something I needed to do. I wanted this so much that I wasn't going to argue or waste anytime. I picked up the phone on the table next to the board and called her. She was available and told me where to find her. With nervous energy we walked down to the Harmony House where she was and sat down. It was $65 , I'm not sure how long we were with her. Everytime I've told the story about what she told me I have later remembered more. There was just so much information given that my head is still spinning. I'll tell about the reading at the end of this post if you'd like to hear about that part. 

 After my reading we walked over to the Cassadaga Hotel and had lunch at the little Italian restaurant inside called Sinatras. The hotel is old, and kind of beautiful/creepy to me. Lunch was fabulous! I had calamari, Vic had Cassadaga Chicken (Grilled Chicken breast,spinich,Italian ham and mozzarella cheese). We both left full and happy. On a side note, the bathrooms are gorgeous ..there are pretty black vine type scrolls painted on the walls with beautiful quotes and sayings painted everywhere.  The restaurant was playing Eva Cassady which we both loved.(G

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 Something we noticed while looking at the gift shop at the Hotel was that some of the Mediums or Healers used things like tarot cards, crystal balls, etc. The Bookstore is not affiliated with the Cassadaga Hotel and does not believe in those things. The Mediums that are in connection with the Bookstore are all certified and have to go thru four years of classes, etc. and prove their gifts. (At least this is what the tour guide told us when we took a tour of Cassadaga arranged through the bookstore). I have read some not so positive reviews but I choose to keep an open mind . If this is not your thing I respect that. I personally believe and feel so much more at peace after yesterdays visit. I have always believed that there are spirits among us, I just understand on another level today.

The side of the Cassadaga Hotel

creepy clown dolls inside the Cassadaga Hotel 

Vic and I wandering the halls of Cassadaga Hotel, hoping to pick up some Orbs

Brigham Hall 

Harmony Hall-where I went for my reading 

Local dog and cat..they were adorable!

A house we passed with many dolls on the porch and yard

I found out later there was a teddy bear drive going on

The sunflower is used as an emblem of the philosophy of Spiritualism. The sunflower is likened to the life that surrounds a person. The figures that surround a sunflower are coincide with what surrounds a person. Sunflowers have seven branches that stand for the seven days in a week and twelve leaves for the twelve months in a year. Each of the branches also usually gives life to three sunflowers, which are believed to stand for the Holy Trinity. And each of the sunflowers has 52 yellow petals, which stands for the 52 weeks in a year. And at the center of each flower, there are 365 seeds, just as there are 365 days in a year.

The sunflower’s very nature also reflects something that Spiritualist believers should do, which is to turn to the light. Every sunflower faces towards the east when the sun rises, which symbolizes how people should turn to the light of God. The flower sends across the message that God can meet our very needs, just as the sunflowers survive by looking towards the east, if we just face His light.

We purchased this beautiful rainbow dream catcher. The Medium told me that my dad comes to me in my dreams and if I have questions for him then would be a good time to ask him.

MY READING:

I told Pauline nothing when I called other than I wanted a reading. I asked if Vic could come with me. She didn't sound like she wanted both of us at the same time but said if we were wanting to communicate with the same spirit it was ok. 

We walked down to her space , it was a two room office/apartment in the Harmony Hall. There was not much furniture in the space. In the back room that we went and sat down there was a metal table and three chairs. A futon sat in the other side of the small room. 

There was a pad of paper, a pen and a box of tissues sitting on the table. She sat across from me and immediately began talking. I wasn't sure where to look or what to do with my hands. I was very uncomfortable. I just held my hands in my lap and listened. When she was right about something I said Yes, or nodded.

The first thing she said was that it was a gentleman coming through. A glass is half full type of man. Even if he wasn't doing well he would say that he was. He didn't want people to worry about him. Ok that is pretty impressive I thought. You could not get more accurate when describing my dad.

The other things may not be in the order she told me..as I mentioned above things have been coming to me all day as I have been thinking about it. I'm so glad that Vic was with me so we can help each other.

From what I gathered from Pauline, my dad was having a conversation with her and showing her things about his life, showing pictures, telling her stories, memories, or things to let me know that he was around me.

She mentioned a family gathering coming up that did not have anything to do with holidays. I let her know it was just passed;my nieces wedding. He told her that he was there. He heard us talking about him, and he was there watching the day with us.

She mentioned him showing her a picture of him in a hat, fishing. I have this picture and will have to go find it now.

Also him being serious playing cards, and a photo of us at an amusement park or something on a ride. I think that one is of us on a sled. 

Other things she mentioned: very responsible, always on time. Not one to take risks and didn't like it much when people he cared about took risks. She felt like he was friendly and wanted to make everyone comfortable. Love of music, Talked alot about my dogs, he wasn't really around the dachunds much but he nailed their personalities and proved that he is at the house watching over us. He mentioned that he walks now, and can breathe, he no longer had the physical body, he's more like a bird and flies all over the place. Family is very important and he checks in on all of us. he travels to places he has never been as well as places he has. He doesn't stay in one place very long. He checks in on those family members that have passed but he doesn't stay with anyone person or persons for very long. 

he never saved much money. He wanted to but just didn't work out that way. He is surrounded by animals and has a special connection with them. As well as children. He is a trickster. He loves music. She mentioned a close male figure like a brother that he was really bonded with (no idea who this may be..he did not have a brother or a best friend that I know of) she said he didn't like to sit still , was very creative and liked to work with his hands. She smiled alot and said  he was very joyful and full of joy. He showed her roses, I told her that he gave me a rose bush for mother's day and that we both loved and had roses. 

Vic asked her to ask him if it hurt for him to pass. He said he was conflicted inside because he didn't want to leave everybody but the light was there and he decided that it was time for him to go. It was peaceful and not painful and a decision that he was in charge. 

She mentioned that his parents were from up north. he was showing her dark furniture and a lot of dust collectors. The words she used was stuff all over the house that needed to be dusted. I told her that he called that dust collectors and he was probably talking about Cyndi and all her decorative stuff all over the house. 

She saw him on water on a boat. Loving nature. I know that I am forgetting things..I'll add to this as i remember. :)

Day 1: Counting my Blessings

On this first day of November I am thankful. I am thankful for the wonderful family that I was born into.
Without them I would not even be here to count anything.
I was blessed to be born into a loving family that wanted me. (well it may have taken my older sister a little longer on that)

100!

Today is the day I reach 100 followers! I realized this after my 99th follower became a follower…I feel kinda bad about that one. I was so excited to do my Friday flip off blog hop (Thanks Gigi!) That I rushed thru three things, had a brain freeze and hit post , only to then seconds later think of at least four other things I had wanted to flip off and didn’t! But edit is not my friend, I am a total spur of the moment can’t wait to edit or photo shop anything before putting it all out there for the world to see. Miss Impatience.
Ok so anyway, I rush off to read all of the other Friday flip offs because I love reading about what other people flip off about and I come across three blogs that do not have flip offs posted. They linked up but didn’t flip off! Instead of just moving on to the next blog my evil twin decides she must play blogger police and leave comments to these bloggers that are not playing by the rules. What is this, 3rd grade? I move on and then get an email about my behavior and I start to feel bad. It’s not even MY blog hop..why did I do that? What a way to get more followers eh? Sorry to you ladies that I did that to this morning.

A little bit about me to the new followers …I started blogging on Myspace several years ago. It was a great place to write. I’d write poems, life stories, love letters, adventures. It was a “high” when I’d get comments that people could relate or find humor in what I had written.Then I moved on to facebook and would write in the “notes” section. That was great but not quite the blogging experience I was looking for. I found blogger not so long ago and so far am happy with the fit. I blog when I want to, I do blog hops to meet new and interesting bloggers. In the early days I’d follow almost anyone but quickly realized that this isn’t necessary, there truly are blogs I’d rather read over others. I still have not figured out how to “un-follow” so my blog list is rather long. Now I take more time to look over blogs that I follow. I am sorry but if your blog is all about God, or babies, or politics, I probably won’t find much in common with you. Post a few pics of your dogs however and you’ve got a friend in me! LOL make it a dachshund and BONUS I’ll hang on your every post in case you mention your dog or throw in a picture. Don’t get me wrong it’s not that I don’t have God in my life…I just call her “Spirit” and believe actions speak more loudly than a book, and I love babies but I do not have children and can’t always relate to the content of every day life as a mom, and we don’t even need to get into politics. I’ll just say I love Obama..and was a republican my entire life until the last election. I liked Bush for a long time too….what is my favorite saying..When we know better we do better” 

I Hate labeles…but if you must put one on me let me give you a few….sister, daughter, niece, aunt, lesbian, femme, little girl,girlfriend, best friend, writer, photographer, comedian, mother of five furchildren.

Wow, this is getting to be a long blog..are you still reading?
Something that comes up a lot in my family is the subject of putting too much out on the Internet. My partner doesn’t like that I’ve posted so many pictures on facebook of her. My family says the same thing. I really should respect that they maybe are serious and don’t want it all out there but they are mostly good pictures and a document of our history. I love sharing my life and that is part of it. It hurts my feelings to think of taking the pictures down. If someone doesn’t like a picture and asks me to I will take it down.
I didn’t much see the harm in posting pictures, stories, journals.

And then this week some jet blue employee had a bad day. He got on the loud speaker , said some bad words, deployed the emergency slide and left his job with a bang. He went to jail. The media went crazy trying to find out everything about him. On the news last night I saw his high school yearbook picture, the clubs he belonged to in high school, his myspace posts and pictures, his ex-wife, his current gay partner and anyone that knows him is talking about him. So I start to worry…what if I go crazy at the supermarket and make national news for something..hey it could happen! What would they find to say about me? My twitter posts that Elizabeth on the View is a nit wit? My facebook status celebrating California's stay on gay marriage? My blog of Friday Flip offs?? Oh my gosh. I’d better make sure I don’t do anything crazy. And to think our worries used to be only about clean underwear.