Enjoying the simple things in life!

When I was around 3, my mother put me on the back porch, at our home in Salem, while she was cooking...distracted by a plane (I thought it was awesome how that thing could fly) I began to follow the plane as it passed out of my view from the back porch. Down the steps, across the back yard and onto the alley-way I followed intently...until of course she found me and brought me back home...

Knowing how much I loved planes...one of my rewards was taking me to the Huddocks Custard Stand, in Quinton/Salem area,to get a butter scotch Sundae and watch the little crop duster planes flying around (dropping pesticides on us).

At one point I thought I would just love to be a pilot but a teacher told me I was too big/Tall and that ended that! Later I found that was only for a fighter pilot in the military but family and life took me in another direction...

One day while sitting at the Airport, where my husband works, watching the planes land (from his office window overlooking the runways), I had this wonderful feeling of how much God knows me, and that it was no coincidence that I was married to a man now running an airport. Tears came up behind my eyes at the possibility that God's hand had guided me to that spot, at that moment as I could imagine him say, "I love you Pam! Enjoy those pleasures from childhood and remember the joy in the simple things."

Yesterday after pulling into our driveway returning home from "AIRFEST" at the airport...a banner plane flies overhead, and once again I am overcome with the happiness of remembering in childhood...loving the beach days with the family, watching the banner plane fly overhead being a big highlight of our trip for this plane lover.

Today while resting on the bed looking out my bedroom window seeing only sky, planes flying by, banner planes busily working the beach, I am enjoying the simple things in life...What did you love as a child? Do you get to do it?

Perhaps today, we can all take a moment to be thankful for those small things like Jalapeno Peppers stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon, fresh fruit, ice cream from the ice cream truck, a beautiful sunrise, family time, planes flying overhead....

Enjoying the simple things in life...how about you?

Centered in Love!

I started this quest to love everyone, without judging or pointing fingers of ridicule or assumptions, even if they didn't believe the same way I did, even if they may actually be on the opposing side of my belief systems, and even if they were unlovable. You see I have always been a people person, and loving the lovable has always been easy, not very difficult at all, but the real challenge has always been for me to love the unlovable...the grumpy, mean, angry, rough, offensive individuals I call Porcupines. A wonderful book "How to love a Porcupine" started my quest that became an opportunity for my deepest growth ever and what I found was that all sides, all people, all belief systems... group together in commonalities and then begin the right and wrong, finger pointing often mislabeling limitations of all others.

"THEY" is everyone but my group, but I am the "THEY" in every other group but mine.
So I figured, in order to make a difference on the Planet, I should start with the most common "THEY" there is, and that is ME, since I am more often in the "THEY" group, than in my one me group. What an ancient concept, yet rarely applied. I could work on me, and me alone, and if everyone worked on ME the most common THEY, the entire world would shift from pointing fingers at them, to reflecting on Self/me. But then isn't that the reason we focus on all of THEM...because we don't like looking at the ME.

Another favorite book "Dark side of the Light Chasers" exposes the real reason THEY make us each so angry, and that is, they are a reflection of our dark side we oppress and therefore it ignites us. When we truly unplug, we are no longer ignited by THEM.

So to truly love others, and accept without judging would mean to truly love thyself...as thy neighbor...(I get it)...the most difficult person to actually love, is ME. "Love thy Neighbor as thyself" takes on an entirely deeper meaning when we understand that to love thy neighbor, we must love our self.

I have a strong belief system centered on GOD my source of all light and knowledge. And I believe that the greatest way I can show that love to GOD...is to be centered in Love. Love for myself, as a child of GOD, and then Love for others regardless of what they may believe. I am not limited by their belief system...and their anger, fear, frustration, or passions, do not ignite me or take away from what I believe.

TO change America, the world, and life as we know it...is not in marches, rallies, propositions, or agenda's... but to truly change is to be individually centered in love for oneself and thy neighbor, without judgment, without pointing fingers, without being ignited in passionate anger...

and I have yet to see any side show love to the other...as a dear friend once said..."Hey have you ever tried, really reaching out to the other side" I am trying...centered in LOVE!