Category Archives: friendship

How Far I’ve Come

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Well, I’m on my way! I’m operating on about four hours’ sleep, but that’s part of the adventure! The 5:50 a.m. flight departing from Prescott Regional Airport went without a hitch. It was nice to be at a small airport again, reminiscent of the days when my private pilot friend and I would fly from Islip, Long Island, NY to have dinner in Nantucket, RI; venture down to the Bahamas and explore cays that were not accessible to visitors flying commercially; and a host of other adventures (or mishaps as the case may be). Here I now sit in Denver International Airport waiting for the next puddle jumper—well, not really—flight to my final destination, Grand Junction. There awaits a week of fun and connection with my dearest friend, Esther, and her wife. We plan to go tube kayaking on the Colorado River; meet with their numerous friends; attend a CSL Sunday service; play Mexican Train; celebrate my birthday; and, most unexpectedly, go house hunting! … which leads me to the main topic of today’s blog post: gratitude. Gratitude for how far I’ve come. After getting a little rest on my flight from Prescott to Denver, it started registering with me … Continue reading →

God’s Invitations to Grow

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“When we withdraw our opinions as to who people should be, we loosen our grasp and give ourselves the opportunity to know people for who they are. We are then free to truly know ourselves and share what we learn with others. “Holding on tightly to the past—the known—can shut us off from God’s invitations to grow. Our openness to the unfamiliar, whether ideas or people or new opportunities, will enrich us immeasurably.” – “In God’s Care*: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery,” June 14 *As We Understand God There is no question that being with other people expands my horizons, and even more so when I let them be who they really are. I am only responsible for myself, as is every other individual. Setting them free, sets me free as well. I have an upcoming trip in a few days and I am most excited about it. It’s my first vacation in four years; I’ll be flying from the local regional airport for the first time; I’ll be visiting my dearest friend who relocated to Colorado; we’ll be going tube kayaking on the Colorado River; I’ll be meeting her new friends of her spiritual community; and, the list … Continue reading →

Life is Better with Friends

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Today was a day of going deeper into fostering friendships here in my “new” hometown. Having relocated here when the pandemic was in high gear last summer, I’ve only been stepping out fully for a month or two. I’m still getting used to being able to socialize again and focusing it on growing local friendships, hopefully meaningful ones and ones where there is a common perspective on Spirit and metaphysics. I had decided to take the 90-minute drive north to Flagstaff, AZ to accomplish some shopping related to outdoor activities. I let my small women’s group know in case anyone was interested in a road trip—I saw it as a way to spend some time outside of our bi-monthly meetings to get to know one another deeper. Two women planned to join me, but unfortunately this morning one was feeling ill and had to cancel. Laure joined me on today’s adventure and we started off with driving a different route than I was accustomed to, that I didn’t even know about, and that she had suggested. It was a lovely, scenic drive. I was most aware of the contribution that being with others brings: friends expand my world, in small … Continue reading →

Love Is All There Is

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I’ve not been pleased with my attitude or behavior towards others of late, yet have not seemed to be able to get back to feeling and behaving as the loving person that I am. I’ve been imploring Spirit to help me. As a gift to myself and as a reminder of the love I am and give, tonight I listened to the What’s App recording of a spiritual mind treatment my dear friend Esther said for me, for us, last month. For some background, you can read a post about our first meeting, now known as our friend-a-versary. We each have individual nicknames, but we share the one of Dahlink, a throwback to the New York City vernacular we both grew up around. Here’s Esther’s heartfelt, affirmative prayer intended specifically for me and our friendship—what an honor she bestowed on me, what a delight! I hope your heart too is touched by the love embedded in her words, reminding you of the love that you are, that love is all there is. I know that love is all there is. And that love is the same thing as what we call God, that infinite, abundant blessing that is divinity within … Continue reading →

A Light to All

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“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” —Helen Keller Today marks four years since my dear friend Samara passed over to the other side. I’ve really been thinking about her a lot in the last two weeks or so. She was very intuitive, a trait I strive to develop. She was about eight years’ older than me and quite a wise woman; hence, she was like an older sister to me. That was delightful especially since I’d never had a sister. We met in NYC and it was clearly a Spirit-orchestrated coming together, so meant to be—even if our meeting was delayed a bit. I was researching colonic hydrotherapy and seeking a colon therapist; Samara was the only professional to return my call. After being a devout atheist for many years, thanks to joining (and working) a 12 Step program, I was on a conscious spiritual path for about 18 months when we met. I was still so thirsty to talk about Spirit, learn about the various concepts of the Divine, know more about the Universe in a way I’d never wanted to before. While … Continue reading →

Making New Friends

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Today was about making new friends. Even though I’ve lived in my new hometown of Prescott, AZ for about eight months now, due to working full-time remotely at home and COVID restrictions and closures, I have been very isolated. It’s like I really could have been living anywhere in the world! But starting with spring’s rebirth, I am now socializing in person and spending time out in the world, out in my new hometown. I am tickled pink! My desire, and actual need, is to have close, local friendships and feel that I truly am part of the community. Knowing I would be attending a gathering this morning, my prayer this day included affirming that everyone at the gathering would receive what they needed, including moi, which included meeting new people, leading to making new friends. I attended a women’s group at Unity of Prescott, even though I am currently a member of Center for Spiritual Living–Prescott; the group welcomes all who adhere to a similar outlook on life and Spirit. I’ve been involved in both the Unity and the Science of Mind New Thought philosophies for many moons and they are quite similar, so I was thrilled to be … Continue reading →

Visit with Spirit

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I spent a fair amount of my time after work tonight catching up with friends and acquaintances—via the written word. Some may think that “old-fashioned” but then again, the younger generations have grown up frequently communicating with others using 140-280 characters in a tweet! I don’t exactly call that correspondence. When I get engrossed in writing to a friend, I truly feel like I’m having a visit with them. It so warms my heart and I feel connected to them. And, it feels so direct. In these times of being physically separated, be it due to relocation, the pandemic, or perhaps conflicting schedules, it is freeing to be able to jump onto my laptop or select a notecard from my stash, and sit down, relax, and catch up with a friend. Since I have lost a number of friends in recent years, and also relocated somewhat recently—and during the pandemic no less—I’m eager to grow new, local friendships. Nevertheless, it’s heartwarming to know that if I’m feeling alone, at any time of the day or night, I can always connect with friends through writing. That’s how it is with Spirit too. I can always connect with Spirit anytime. It’s often … Continue reading →

Emissaries of Love and Spirit

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“We nurture each other’s special beauty by our loving actions. We all need to know we’re truly appreciated. …our fears of not being lovable can still haunt us at times. “These fears are easily put to rest when we help someone else feel special. All it takes is a moment of thoughtfulness… “Our Higher Power needs us to be emissaries of love in the world.” I will help a friend blossom today and I will grow as well. – “In God’s Care*: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery,” March 26 *As We Understand God A new friend of mine came to visit today, and we spent several delightful hours getting more acquainted and learning about one another as we shared about experiences in relationships, travel, careers, and more. We expressed viewpoints on things of this world and things about other realms and Spirit. We were supportive of one another as concerns were expressed about aging, finances, and companionship. Due to my work experiences, I was able to provide some information that would perhaps help my friend as he navigates through some current career matters. We didn’t agree on all matters, but were respectful. Both of us were candid, authentic, thoughtful, … Continue reading →