BE BRAVE, BE BOLD!

Happy Friday, everyone. Can it be true? It seems I was just sitting down to write this yesterday, and a whole week has passed already. It is true. Time is speeding up. Okay, let’s roll up our sleeves, there’s lots to do. Last week I wrote about what we can do to help. A few people mentioned that I didn’t include the horrific oil spill. Well, that is true. I was pretty sure everyone knew about it.I think it is evident that we all need to have our voices heard in whatever way you want to participate in that we are not going to stand for any more "Drill Baby Drill." It is imperative we have Renewable Energy: Sun, Wind, Geothermal, and water. Be bold and speak up.

B.P. in Gulf of Mexico

 I did mention a heck of a lot of websites, books, movies and radio programs that can be podcast for your convenience. If you didn’t have a chance to read last Friday’s blog, you can just scroll down and find the resources I listed. As I mentioned, this is a condensed version and I have a document that lists many more which are available to you upon request. I made a point of listing these so we have the information we need to get involved. I know we are all super busy, and even if we don’t actively do anything, at least we will be informed to the extent we can respond to family, friends, or acquaintances, whether we are in conversations or receiving emails when we know that the truth is not being expressed. We need to be bold, and speak out. In perfect timing for writing my blog, I received an email from a friend of mine yesterday. Here is only one line of the “forward” in her email- "First, to destroy America, turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country." It went on and on, and was one of the most racist articles I have read. I couldn’t believe my spiritual friend sent me that. She asked what I thought of that article. I told her what I thought, and also added what is really going on in America which is destroying our great country. In a simplistic explanation, it is unregulated, predatory capitalism, and not bilingual or multi-lingual people. I learned it was her Conservative, Republican brother who sent her that email. She told me she likes to ask my opinion so she can respond to him. Now, I finally know why she has been sending those types of emails to me. If we don’t have time to read books, many can be purchased in audio book format so you can listen as you are multi-tasking. (See my list of books) One radio program you can count on to learn the truth is on www.democracynow.org You can easily become aware and informed.

The title of this blog is Be Brave, Be Bold. I am going to do that now. I actually didn’t become aware of the illegal Occupation of the Gaza Strip until I started dating Jim. I know most Americans don’t know, and I decided to share this information since what has happened just a few days ago. I copied one of the articles which is below for your convenience. The "Occupation" is one of the worst things going on for decades now and U.S. is complicit.


To find out more - Google: Noam Chomsky - Palestine Israel Occupation 101. There is a video on you tube. It is great that people from all over the world are becoming aware of the atrocities that are taking place and becoming involved. Awareness is the first step to change.

Gaza Freedom Flotilla
May 31st, 2010
In an international act of piracy and murder in international waters, the Israeli navy intercepted, boarded, and opened fire on humanitarian activists on a flotilla of ships attempting to deliver humanitarian supplies to the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian Gaza Strip.

According to news reports, Israeli commandos killed as many as 19 humanitarian activists on board one ship, and have abducted all 700 passengers on board the six boats composing the flotilla who are in the process of being sent against their will to Israel for arrest and/or deportation.

The reaction of the Obama Administration to Israel's attack on the humanitarian aid flotilla, which included U.S. citizens, has been tepid. A White House spokesperson stated that he "deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained."
Of course, this statement completely ignores U.S. complicity in arming Israel and enabling its human rights abuses. In July 2008, the United States signed a contract worth $1.9 billion to transfer the latest-generation of naval combat vessels to Israel at U.S. taxpayer expense. Currently, Congress is in the process of appropriating a record $3.2 billion in military aid to Israel this budget year.

Think what we could do with $3.2 billion in our own country!


Bottom line, what is important is that we live together in peace on a vibrant, alive planet. Together we can dream a new world into being with our prayers, visualizations and meditations. We live in a time of great challenge and change. Many are estranged from their spiritual connections to earth and each other. Deep within our souls there is a passion for peace and justice. We need to honor the wisdom of indigenous cultures and our own ancestors so we can shift to a new era of awakened consciousness.

I love receiving your emails with your comments, and if you would like to have everyone who reads my blogs see your comments, just click “Comments.”


If you are enjoying reading my blogs, please "follow" me and write comments or email me, and forward to friends. Thank you. Wishing you much love and many magical moments. Hey check out my Yoga DVD. It is an easy to follow Yoga program with inspirational messages of self-love. http://www.youcandoityoga.com/

WE CAN HELP

Happy Friday, everyone. Well, here it is. I have been writing a lot about fun, family, friends, and uplifting, and empowering ideas. I’m in a more serious mood this week, so I want to continue to empower not only ourselves but encourage more awakening to truth. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with the information I have and feel the urgency in doing more. I realize this is a group effort. I know it is challenging sometimes just to get through the day with all of the demands on our time. I realize when I decide to put something into my day-timer (Blackberry), I am able to fit it in. What is great now is that a lot of these can be accessed when it is convenient for you. I have listed websites, radio shows (that can be podcast) books and movies. This is the condensed version. I have a document that lists many more. (available to you upon request) It is empowering to know the truth and to see if you feel compelled to participate in any way that moves you. As a matter of fact, while writing this, I have stopped a few times to check facts and while doing this, signed the petition to stop Monsanto from sending their poison seeds to Haiti and posted to Facebook too. We can participate in these quick, simple ways that when multiplied by large numbers of participants, we help create change and awareness.

Now, on a different note, I just read this last night, and wanted to share it with you. It is definitely worth the few minutes it took to read about the Crystal, Rainbow, and Indigo children and their message. What do you think? Click link below.
http://snoedel.moorelife.nl/pivot/entry.php?id=844

If you are enjoying reading my blogs, please "follow" me and write comments or email me, and forward to friends. Thank you. Wishing you much love and many magical moments. Hey check out my Yoga DVD. It is an easy to follow Yoga program with inspirational messages of self-love. http://www.youcandoityoga.com/

Listing of Websites:

www.democracynow.org (Daily radio show)    Note: Most radio shows can be podcast.

www.fair.org (Counter Spin - Weekly radio show)

www.alternativeradio.org (Chris Hedges, Noam Chomsky, etc.)

www.worldfocus.org (radio show)

www.therandirhodesshow.com (radio show)

www.mikemalloy.com (radio show)

www.huffingtonpost.com

www.tvnewslies.org

www.factcheck.org

www.opensecrets.org

www.grittv.org

BOOKS
Charles Pierce: Idiot America (How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free?)
Republican Gomorrah – Max Blumenthal
Naomi Klein: The Shock Doctrine
Chris Hedges: Empire of Illusion
Kevin Phillips: Bad Money (Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism)
Thom Hartmann: Screwed (The Undeclared War against the Middle Class and What We Can Do about It)
Howard Zinn: A People's History of the United States 1492-Present
Greg Palast: The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
Noam Chomsky: Hegemony or Survival (America 's Quest For Global Dominance)

MOVIES
Capitalism, a Love Story
Food Inc.
The Cove
People Speak – Howard Zinn
Life and Debt
Stop-Loss
Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
Google: Haiti and Monsanto Poison Seeds

WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS SHE?

Where is He? Where is She?

Third date pedi-cab ride in Santa Barbara

Happy Friday everyone. It seems like a question regarding finding one’s true love or mate is a topic often discussed. Let’s talk about finding “the one.” Some meet through friends, some take out ads, some go on line and join Match.com and the multitude of others that are available. There are numerous ways to accomplish the feat of finding love. I know people who say they have tried everything for years and haven’t found the right person. What I want to do now is to remind those that know about the spiritual way to manifest meeting your mate, or to introduce those that don’t know about the power of manifesting. We all do it. Just some of us do it with awareness and some of us do it without awareness.

The same principle applies whether you want to find your mate, get a new job, or have better health. You have to make that decision without doubts. If you are not sure, God, Universe, or whatever it is that you believe in, won’t know what to give you.I believe we are co-creators with the Divine. This is an anology. It is like going into a restaurant and saying, “I am not sure what I want.” The server will bring you what you want when you tell them. And, just like being in the restaurant, once you give the order, you trust that it will be brought to you. Do you worry that once you put in your order, they will forget and not bring it out? Of course, that could happen, but rarely does. It is the same with wanting to be in a committed relationship. This is the important part to remember. “ You decide what you want, and trust you will have it.” It could come in any number of ways. The method you use is not the important part. Knowing what you want and trusting is the important part. I will share with you what I did.

  

 When I decided I was ready to meet the right person, I bought a beautiful greeting card that was blank inside. I wrote out all of the important qualities I wanted in my mate. I did not write that this person would be a millionaire because I don’t believe that a millionaire would fall in love with me. Now, that could happen, I just didn’t believe it would happen. So you do have to write what you believe. Then I lit a candle, set my intention, and just had a feeling, a strong sense of trusting that the man I was going to meet and marry would come into my life.

 For any of you reading this that are in their 50’s, and don’t think it is possible for this to happen to anyone in that age range, think again. A couple of weeks later, I met Jim in a parking lot at a park. We both were there for an event. He was already leaving and I was just arriving. After we talked for a while, he asked for my card and he called the next night. He really had all of the qualities I had listed on my card, and it was a pretty long list too. Actually, in many ways, he was even better than I imagined!  We dated, fell in love, and got married. Happy manifesting.

Jim proposes and gives me an engagement ring!

If you are enjoying reading my blogs, please "follow" me and write comments or email me, and forward to friends. Thank you. Wishing you much love and many magical moments. Hey check out my Yoga DVD. It is an easy to follow Yoga program with inspirational messages of self-love.  http://www.youcandoityoga.com/

Weight Loss - or Not and How I Became A Blonde!

Happy Friday, everyone. Today’s topic is weight loss – or not. As summer approaches, many of us start thinking about bathing suits and how we look in them. Of course, here in Florida, we get to think about that many more months out of the year. You have probably noticed that as you age, it seems to be harder and harder to remain slim. I sure have noticed that. We women have additional things such as menopause, hormones, and metabolism to make it even more difficult. I do think men’s metabolism is different. I remember when I was young watching young men eating large portions frequently, and whatever they wanted, and still look thin. So, yes, life isn’t fair. What else is new? Now, what do we do about it? There are all of the books to tell us to love our bodies just as they are. I do believe that is so important. Even if you want to lose weight, you have to love yourself and your body! Okay, now we covered that, what next? I still think that the act of believing makes it so. This is the magic part here. “The act of believing makes it so!” I have seen that happen many times over my lifetime. For instance, I thought that I would like to be a blonde when my hair turned gray. My hairdresser just continued to touch up the gray at the roots matching it to the rest of my dark hair. She said it would Not be a good idea to bleach it. I just kept thinking I see myself as an older person with blonde hair. I saw myself as a blonde although I had dark hair all of my life. I held that belief. I went to Thailand, and was there for a month. While being in the sun daily, my hair got significantly lighter. My hairdresser colored my roots according to the new color. I did nothing to my hair and it just seemed to get lighter and lighter. I just continued to hold the thought that I was a blonde, and as you can see, I am a blonde.

 The same concept is true with weight or anything else. The secret is to make peace with what is happening in the “now.” That part is really important because if there is resistance to what is, you are stopping the flow of energy to change it. This is the time we really do need to practice the art of acceptance. Have an image of whatever it is that you want, and believe it to be true. If you have doubts, you are stopping the flow of energy to make the changes. It is when you make the decision, have the image, believe it to be so, that changes occur. You will just seem to have an easier time saying “no to sweets, fried food, large quantities, - or anything that doesn’t contribute to weight loss. Remember that drinking diet Coke, Pepsi, et al, does not help you lose weight, it does just the opposite. Drink lots of spring water. If you are really interested in the best water and super food, email me and ask me for information on Kangen water and Super Blue Green Algae. Also, you seem to want to take a walk, swim, play golf, tennis, do yoga, or exercise So, to recap, what happens is once you make the decision, the universe assists you as you co-create what is needed to have your desired outcome. That’s it. It works. And, remember, you get to decide if you want to lose weight or not. Happiness is far more important than being unhappy with yourself as you struggle to lose weight.
If you are enjoying reading my blogs, please "follow" me and write comments or email me, and forward to friends. Thank you. Wishing you much love and many magical moments. Hey check out my Yoga DVD. It is an easy to follow Yoga program with inspirational messages of self-love. http://www.yogawithosharay.com/

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

from top left to right, Mo, sister-in-law, Chris, son-in-law, Sheila, daughter, Calvin, grandson, me, Monica, daughter, Ruby, grand daughter at her 2 yr. old b-day party.

                                                                                                Sheila, Chris, son-in-law,  & Calvin

FAMILY AND FRIENDS                                    
Happy Friday everyone. This certainly isn’t a new topic, although it is a topic that stays the same throughout the years. I think it will be increasingly important to take the time to be in contact and spend as much time as possible with your family and friends. If spending time in person is not possible, then we are so lucky to live in an era of all the wonderful technology that is available to us. I remember long ago when it was just a fantasy to think we could see each other when we talk, and now we can with Skype and webcams, etc. We all are so very busy with a million and one things to do, but if we don’t put spending time with our family and friends on that list, we will be sorry at some point in our lives. We are experiencing more and more disasters. We are watching Mother Earth speak out, making it virtually impossible to ignore. We are seeing banks, big insurance companies, BP, mining companies, priests, etc. etc. become exposed as their corrupt ways are revealed. We are coming together with our family and friends to form communities, grass roots organizations and support groups as we help and contribute to the various changes that need to take place. We will get through this all with each other’s support. This is not the time for being complacent. Our united voices need to be heard.

I chose this topic because I was thinking how blessed I was in having such a wonderful family and friends. You may be blessed too, but if you think you are not, remember that it is never too late to reach out. When we volunteer our time, go to classes, spiritual or religious institutions, and even just go to have coffee at the same place often, we will meet people and start friendships. It is a willingness to get out there, and patience.

Denise

Now, a few words about my trip home to CA. I loved watching and hanging out with my daugthers because I am very proud of them because I think they are amazing women and mothers. It was so heartwarming to watch my 2 year old granddaughter, Ruby, at her ballet class in Monterey, and my two year old grandson, Calvin, at his soccer class in Santa Rosa. There are so many activities for toddlers these days. I just loved holding and rocking my 3 month old grand daughter, Maezy. (See photos on last week’s blog.) My daughters are so blessed to have great husbands, and both are named Chris. I love being with them too. I also have two teen-aged daughters Erika and Kelli. They are so grown up, beautiful  and smart.  Erika on left   Kelli and Calvin on rt. 

                                                                                                         Mary & meKat & me

I had so much fun visiting my wonderful friends. Denise took me on a glorious outing to Big Sur. That evening she and her partner, Tony, made dinner for me and had a great conversation about wordly matters.  Kat treated me to an Indian dinner in Santa Rosa as we discussed her upcoming trip to Turkey. Mary prepared a home cooked meal for me, and we talked about spirituality and relationships. Another day, we acted like tourists, and went to the State Capital in Sacramento. Cherie and I lingered over Starbucks beverages for hours of visiting. These are dear friends I have had for 10-30 years. I loved hanging out with my great brother, Maurice, and sister-in-law, Linda, as we took their dogs for walks in the beautiful 77 acres of Ancil Hoffman Park in Fair Oaks several mornings – not to mention the great meals we had at their home and in various restaurants including the Slocum House.      

I also went to see my ex-husband, Tony and his wife, Cathy. It was important to stop by because our beloved dog, Spirit, is now 19 years old. I didn’t want an opportunity to slip by and not see him because who knows how much longer he will be around. It was good to see all doing well. Of course, I did so much more, and wanted to write about it all, but it would be far too much to read about.
Cherie & me

Brother, Maurice & meSister-in-law, Linda & me. Spirit with b-day hat and Dexter

 To wrap this up, I want to make available to anyone who wants to get involved or just become more informed about the truth of what is going on  behind the scenes of broadcast news. So if you are interested, please email me, and I will attach a document with numerous resources.

This is my way of connecting with you all when I can’t see, phone or email you personally. I do reply to everyone who writes me. Remember, I love hearing from you too.

If you are enjoying reading my blogs, please "follow" me and write comments or email me. Thank you. Wishing you much love and many magical moments. Hey check out my Yoga DVD. It is an easy to follow Yoga program with inspirational messages of self-love. http://www.yogawithosharay.com/

Whew...I'm back!

Happy Friday everyone. Yes, it’s been a long time since I have written. Oh, where to begin. If you read my last post, you know that I have been in California visiting my daughters, son-in-laws, grandchildren, brother, sister-in-law, and many dear friends. I thought I would be able to write while traveling, but it just didn’t work out that way for a variety of reasons. Of course, I can say what we usually do after visiting about how gorgeous, adorable and smart the grandchildren are, and how much we love our families and friends and miss not being able to see them more often. So, that is very true and it is a given. But, just about everyone writes that stuff. So, I will be brave. What I noticed about myself is I am still learning to integrate all that I have learned over the years. I really know what is in the books like “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle, and “Loving What Is” by Byron Katie. So, I am wondering if you want me to be honest and vulnerable and share from my heart. I decided to just be me and tell it like it is. I have a strong emotional body. Tolle calls it “the pain body.” This happened as a result of being scolded by my mom throughout my entire childhood and adult life. She has passed on and I really feel great compassion for her because I understand the emotional pain she was in which caused her to treat me the way she did. In fact, I even believe the ancient spiritual teachings that say we choose our parents and circumstances before we are born to learn what we need in order to continue to evolve. She was the reason I began my spiritual journey when I was in my 20’s. Most of you who know me, know that I am in my 60’s. One of my spiritual teachers said to remember that whenever anyone is saying hurtful things or behaving badly, it is because they are either in fear or in some kind of pain. When we remember that, we don’t need to react, or feel hurt. We just need to love them. I am really good at remembering this with strangers, acquaintances, and casual friends. I notice that is more difficult with the ones I love. So, I am writing this as a continual reminder to myself and to others. I completely forgot this to the extent of having it affect my immune system so I got sick. It started with a sore throat and it blossomed into Bronchitis. I am convinced that being stressed and emotional has a far greater affect on us than eating the "right" food. Don’t get me wrong, I really recommend eating organic and natural foods with occasional treats. But, have you noticed some people who eat all the "wrong" things are healthy and energetic? Those people hardly ever seem stressed or upset. That is it! That is how powerful our thoughts and emotions are.  Well, okay, great, but how do we do that??  The key is to be in “Witness Consciousness.” Watch our thoughts, and choose not to react to them.  I do think that it is just like everything else in life – PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

The other thing to remember is to not be so hard on ourselves if we forget any of these teachings. Practicing loving kindness and compassion includes us as well! I promised to keep my posts short and sweet so I will, and write about my visit with my family, friends, pics, and what I did next week. Far left is a photo of my daughter, Monica and granddaughter, Maezy. Center is daughter, Sheila and grandson, Calvin. Bottom is Monica's daughter, my granddaughter, Ruby and me. If you are enjoying reading my blogs, please "follow" me and write comments. Thank you. Wishing you much love and many magical moments. Hey check out my Yoga DVD. It is an easy to follow Yoga program with inspirational messages of self-love. http://www.yogawithosharay.com/

Ready for a Food Revolution?

Some of us in the You Can Do It Yoga Crew have been on a path of food enlightenment for several years now. When several of our friends and family members began to experiment with alternate food choices, i.e. vegan, vegetarian, raw, etc., we thought maybe we should start thinking more about what and how we eat.

We began our search by making the rounds to the usual suspects like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and got a little frightened, but then found some other sources like the Organic Consumers Association, Vegetarian Times magazine and Local Harvest, a great site that allows you to find farmers markets all over the country.

What we realized is that if we allow profit driven corporations to dictate the type and quality of food we eat, we're in trouble. Corn Syrup is much cheaper than real sugar, but it's definitely not the healthiest substance around.

What can you do?

• Check out some of the sites we listed above.
• Watch a couple great documentaries on the subject like Food Inc., or King Corn.
• It seems like the mainstream media is even getting wise to the movement, ABC has a new show out called Food Revolution. Here's a great writeup about the show on one of our favorite blogs - Have Fun - Do Good!
• Support your local Farmer's Market.
• Read the labels on your food!

The You Can Do It Yoga Crew wants everyone to live a healthy and happy life. Make good decisions about what you put in and do with your body - it's the only one you've got!