Ponderings #52

Dear fellow travelers,

  My last Pondering for me  brought back many  memories of where life was and projecting it forward,  what history has taken place over the years since I was born.   I should probably write "around me",  because that Pondering ties in with this current one through the movie "The Butler" that I just saw-(-a must see, if not twice).  It brought back more memories of those time periods which I lived through, as you may have. 

    Memories for me of  the civil rights movements, which were incorporated in the film through  the older son, a fictitious character added to intertwine the segregation and civil rights movements that were portrayed  during the film.  Also I just watched "42" the Jackie Robinson movie.  Wow--  a double whammy.

  I lived in Texas for a few years in the late 40's, and at a young age, I can still  remember going to the football games with my family, sitting in the grandstands, and hearing the obscenities being hollowed at the black football players and band members.  I remember cringing, and wondering how these people could be so nasty and mean,  they didn't even know those people, not that that should make a difference.   And I still wonder how so much meanest could have come from those people.

  I am really grateful that my family was not racially prejudice,  I didn't grow up in that type of home environment . and those attitudes were and are foreign to me  But obviously that wasn't and hopefully still isn't the same for other households.

  My regret is that I didn't do anything to help with the integration or civil rights movements when they were at their prime.  I so admire the people who did.  I  honor all the people who made those changes happen!!

  When I think of that particular time period,  I was a single mom, with the "woman" in the work place challenge.  Getting a credit card in my name was a challenge, then a mortgage for a house in my name, using only my salary was a challenge, but I did it, and then moving thru the glass ceiling happened with the EEOC.  But that wasn't life of death, just higher wages, and  better jobs in a male dominated society. 

  We have come far as a country--obviously-- a black president, one of the richest in all ways black women,  many black company presidents, and intermarriage isn't a taboo or illegal any more.  To me,  all good,  in all ways.

 Moving in a different direction but another current upward movement is the "same sex" marriage law.

 But where else do we need to travel??  what am I not seeing??

  What else needs to be changed??  Where is our consciousness??

  

  Change does happen--sometimes at a much higher cost than necessary.

  What price am I willing to pay??

   Just Pondering on change and history and attitudes

   Rev  Linda Patton,   ENTC

  http://Ponderings-everyday-spirituality.blogspot.com

Ponderings #51

Dear fellow Travelers,

I usually do my own writing but I received this from a friend and decided it was so creative and to just pass it on.

Trust you will enjoy it.

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: The Year You Were Born - THIS IS Interesting, GREAT! ~Informative~

YOUR PAST - AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION The screen is going to fade to black;  and follow the instructions below. You'll be pleasantly surprised with this one... Delete the words the year of your birth          Type in the year only!! Click on the  ?  mark The screen will fade to black while it is loading. Sit back and enjoy!! Click below... Year of your birth The screen will move by itself. What did your think?

      Just Pondering on Creativity

      Rev Linda Patton,   ENTC

      http://Ponderings-everyday-spirituality.blogspot.com.

Ponderings #50

Dear fellow travelers,

  Just think you have been on this path with me thru 50 Ponderings!!  Now the question is how will life be for you and me  when I create my 500th?   That would be at my current rate in another ten years.

  I had started Ponderings, just for a very brief time ten years ago--ten years ago there were, to my knowledge, not too much coming over the Internet that was in the nature of personal writings, and or inspirational writings.  Of course the Internet was not at everyone's finger tips as it is now.  Now in just ten years, a blink in the eyes of the universe;  I receive multitudes of spiritual sayings, and motivational messages.  But I do still write my own, however, ten years from now---at its current rate, the number from others will have increased exponentially!!  .    and its All good. 

How the times are rapidly changing:  something to ponder.

  The world for me is moving at a much more rapid pace.  The days fly past, then they turn into months-- Winter becomes Summer and then Winter again. 

  However, on a slower pace,  I was fortunate this week to find myself sitting at lunch across from a beautiful young lady, who had just turned 21, my granddaughter.  She is a senior at the University.   Ten years ago she was in the sixth grade.  She has been a joy to watch as she has grown.   Where will she have her life take her in the next ten years??

  My life in the last ten years has changed dramatically.  I went in directions I would not have imagined, even twelve years ago.  However, there were some very sad periods when close friends and family members transitioned.

   But the  hills arose from the valleys and I accomplished many personal visions.

   A friend , many years ago, when I was working   and I felt really stuck and saw no hills,  told me, "Never give up on your dreams!"  but I couldn't see beyond my challenges then,  and now they are just a slight memory.

 Life does change,  change is the only constant.  And,  guess what??  sometimes, if not often, its for the good!!  In the end its All Good, even if it doesnt seen so at some point.  Imagine that!! 

 If you feel stuck, move, imagine the unimaginable, the good for yourself,  and start and keep moving...Don't ever give up,  be grateful for all things, you never know where they may lead you.

 Just imagine where you can be ten years from now!!

 What has happened in your life in the last ten years?

 Where were you then? where are you now?

 Everything that has ever happened to you has brought you to where you are now!! 

If you aren't on top of the mountain,  as my friend told me years ago

"Never give up on your dreams",  and do dream!!  Dream Big--start moving and keep on moving, even if you are on top of your mountain,  there is always something else to do, to create,  we are never done.   

Just Pondering on Power of Ten

Rev Linda Patton,  ENTC

http://Ponderings-everyday-spirituality.blogspot.com.

Ponderings #49

Dear fellow travelers,

Thank you for being on this thing called life with me, with its many adventures and challenges.

This past week I had a call from a beautiful gal who was having a difficult time over the fact that someone had just accepted her with open arms, without her doing anything to "earn" the acceptance.   

Now you may be saying "what????"   but thinking about it at a deeper level,

how many people do you know, or maybe even you may think now and then, that you have to prove your self in some way that you are good enough for a certain job, a certain organization, a certain assignment, a certain group of people and on and on it could go?  

I admit at times I have thought, I cant do that!,  and the bottom line was, because.........

Yes that right!   Every now and then I have to adjust my own thinking!!

And I have over the years worked with many people who started out with one "want" or " issue"  and when my questions continued,  the belief behind it all came out to be because I cant have it, or I'm afraid I wont or cant  achieve it was because I'm not good enough. 

People do all kinds of things for that outside approval, to feel good, about themselves: that they are worthy, to be accepted. --the big houses, expensive cars, and all the up to date everything.

And believe me,  I love the great cars and clothes and all the dressings but I need to just be sure I am loving it because I really like it, not for that outside praise or the outside saying, that I have arrived.

Let's go a step further...we don't need to do anything to prove our worth, our value to anyone!!!

We are pre-approved, just by our being here, on this great planet! 

We were created as the Bible states, "in the image and likeness of God".  and God encompass all, and if this is so, and I believe it is. 

We need not do anything!!! we are by our "being" here, proof  enough that we are totally completely accepted.  We don't need outside approval.  Its an inside job.

No thing or nothing we may have heard from our past,  in our formative years need to be our tapes now.  I suggest we erase them. 

To go back to this beautiful gal,  and maybe someone you know also.  How is she possibly going to please her worth to 9 billion people on earth?  everyone has there own likes and dislikes from their own experiences, isn't it much easier just to please the one person that is with us all the time?   ourselve!

Again, we are pre-approved-, by our life itself. and are only job as far as I can surmise is to live life as we choose, as long as we are not harming another or the environment. 

Just embrace all those open arms with a grateful thank you , without question.

We, all,  are truly worthy, and capable, without a doubt of receiving, all good things.

Maybe a little preachy but

Just pondering on Worth

Rev Linda Patton   ENTC

http://Ponderings-everyday-spirituality.blogspot.com.

Ponderings #48

Dear fellow travelers,

   I trust you are staying cool,  this is far from my winter blues!!  Thank you so much for your interest and your comments.

 

   I have been going thru some old papers and came a cross an old work picture which brought back some memories.

  I recalled an event that happened many years ago, when I supervised an office force in an Engineering Dept that was responsible for many various job functions that needed to flow, like a well oiled machine to meet its deadlines. 

  This particular incident began one day when I overhead a gal who was being transferred into my department saying,  "I'm NOT going to work for that _____________"

and it wasn't a compliment!!!  But mirroring her thoughts,  I wasn't really happy about her either,  She had a reputation for being lazy, unfocused, and as you can tell didn't have a great attitude.  Not my cup of tea!!

  When I received her employment records, her test scores ranked above average!

  Well now....how about that....

 

  I decided to turn lemons into lemonade, as the saying goes.

  I asked myself when did I do a good job??  When did I want to do a good job??

  Being work oriented, I always liked to do my best,  but then I dug further.....

   I felt really Good when I felt Empowered, Creative, Respected and Heard.

   Just maybe these where her feel good buttons also.

 

  Using these guidelines during our first meeting, I was honest with her and told her I had heard that she wasn't happy with the change,  and I also had some reservations.

But I knew she was capable of doing a good job.  I told her I was giving her complete control over an important segment of the operation. I had Faith in her capabilities, She could change it, to make it work any way she choose.  But it had to be done accurately and on time.  I knew she could do it,  and I would assist her if she asked me.  but would be hers....I would trust her  decisions.

Was she willing to do it?    YES.....  and then we made lemonade.

 

We worked together for quite a few years and we grew to have a mutual respect for each other.

 

Now, is there someone in your life,  that needs a little encouragement??

Needs to feel and be appreciated and respected?

 

Just pondering on lemonade

 

Rev Linda Patton  ENTC

http://Ponderings-everyday-spirituality.blogspot.com.

Ponderings #47

Dear fellow traveler,

  Thank you for your touching responses to my last Pondering.  I also was very touched by that story.

  To me this Pondering is  of a much lighter nature.

  My question for a while was: what if I just gave up the resistance and admitted it didn't work, the way I had hoped it would??

  One of Murphy's Laws states the more something costs the harder it is to give it up , even if it doesn't do what it was intended to do.

  That's where I was for ten years,----- yep!!! ten years.

  I had set up my art studio in the basement with much excitement, ten years ago.  Lot of shelf space, great overhead lights  etc.  But there was something about going down the steps to the basement.  I had to push myself to go.  Once there I felt OK but not really.  The best art I feel I have done was at my former house in the spare bedroom on the second floor.  OH really!!

   Something about the basement!!

  I finally decided after much going back and forth in my mind,  to move most of the art supplies to the third floor room. 

I do still plan on using the basement for real messy projects and framing.  we will see!!!

However, this meant ordering a work table, bookcases, buying throw rugs and plastic to cover the carpet.  etc.   Then moving most of the existing furniture out of the room.  and carrying much up or down three flights of stairs.

Well!! we did it.  I consider it exercise.  and making a good decision.

  Its almost complete and it already feels better, more peaceful. 

 The room is bright and cheerful!

  Now time will time if my art motivation kicks in.

 Peace, ease, and happiness are my goals.

  Stay turned in for my great masterpieces to appear

  Is there anything you feel resistance about?  and you keep on doing it anyway?

Maybe its time to cut the attachments, habit, routine and/ or loses and make a change.

   Change isn't always easy,  But sometimes it is necessary to get the inspiration working again.  I'm expecting great ideas to manifest.

Just Pondering on resistance to change.

Rev Linda Patton,  ENTC

http://Ponderings-everyday-spirituality.blogspot.com 

  

Ponderings #46

Dear fellow travelers,

  Thank you again, again for being on this journey called life with me.

 

   I may never know what my true purpose is,  I do my day to day tasks. and then every now and then, something happens, to cause me to really think how life has unfolded and unfolds in unexpected ways beyond my sometimes limited concepts.  How life is this magnificent tapestry, and I haven't been able to fly above this magnificent work of art to view the design from the top,  because  my vantage point has been seeing  just a small section from underneath.  But we are all part of this design, all interwoven.  and maybe someday we will see the entire design.

 

  I heard this true story the other day, it really touched me,    and since it is Memorial Day Weekend,  I felt it appropriate to share it.

 

  I have this very special friend,  who may never realize how special he is.  During his teenage years, he being white, in a very Southern South, befriended a black boy who became his best friend in  Ku Klux Klan country. This obviously was before desegregation.  in the early 60ths. Because of his relationship with this best friend. He was hooded and beaten severely by the Klan.   I wont go into all the details, but he did miraculously survive. 

And he never gave up his friendship with his best friend.  He had the strength and courage to refuse!!  He followed his heart.

, 

Graduation from high school came and he graduated from his white school and his friend graduated from his black school,  the two schools did not mix!

Both were drafted at the same time for Viet Nam. 

His friend passed his physical and was deployed.

My friend did not pass his physical.

 

His friend was killed in Viet Nam. 

What happened from this act of valor to me was the purpose for his life.

He was the first black boy, or white boy,  to be killed in Viet Nam from this town.

The white Baptist church, set aside its prejudice and opened its doors for the closed casket funeral,  to standing room only.

The store owners stopped serving, who they knew to be in  the Klan, and the Klan lost its force. 

Thru this chain of events,  this town became desegregated. 

 

 The country also thru changes in its laws and Martin Luther King  began   desegregation and integration  happened.

 

My friend to me is one of extraordinary courage,  he stood his ground, stating "both of us had red blood".  He didn't cave, or renounce his friendship, when he could have easily done so.  He is a hero.  Strong, with a great sense of purpose to do what he knew for him was right.

 

Both are hero's  to me.

 

Have a wonderful  Memorial Day

Please, remember all who serve and all of those who gave of their lives in doing so.

 

How well do we stand our ground in the face of adversity?

 

Just pondering on doing what I feel is right.

 

Rev Linda Patton  ENTC

http://Ponderings-everyday-spirituality.blogspot.com