We Have More Than Enough

What would happen if everyone spent more time thinking about the comfort and peace of others and less about their own? What if our first thought was for the starving masses rather than which restaurant at which we're going to eat? What if we thought of the homeless when we complain about our messy house? What if we remembered the unemployed when we gripe about our mundane 9 to 5? What if, instead of getting the new outfit (just 'cause it's so cute) we clothed another who has far less? Things are just things, but our souls are interconnected with every other being. There is no separation. We have bought into the idea that me and mine are why I am here and that the more I have or can buy/get/obtain the happier I'll be. It is a great lie. When even "the least of these" is deprived we are ALL bankrupt. The Great American Dream has become just a guise for the greed and corruption of corporations and governments. If they keep us afraid and selfish then we will continue to buy their GIVE-ME-MORE doctrine. More stuff. More medications. More food (GMO's filled with artificial this and preservative that), more cars and tv's and toys and things. An endless parade of objects that ultimately drain our resources and numb our senses. We are living a lie. We were designed by the Great Creator to BE more, not WANT more. We were designed to minister to one another. To be servants TO one another and to our Lord. If we can break the cycle, the  hypnotic trance we've allowed ourselves to slip into, we can take ownership of our world and create a beautiful life for EVERYONE. It is time to go from ME to WE. And it all begins with conscious thought. Comfort and peace is everyone's Divine birthright. And until we each take responsibility for that, then the light will continue to diminish more and more each day. Look into the eyes of the hungry child, the homeless woman, the jobless man. They are you. You are them. "There but for the grace of God go I." 

God Bless, Namaste, and as always, SHARE THE LOVE. ~P.Frye

It is TIME

2014 could be the year. It SHOULD be the year. By all accounts, it absolutely, without a doubt, unquestionably MUST be the year. The year I learn...no, LET me love myself. Yes, I'm successful in my career. Yes, I'm happily married. Yes, I am "beautiful". ( Wide, brown eyes with long lashes, naturally straight teeth, facial features symmetrical, nothing abnormally large or small or misshapen.)  But because I've spent most of my life being a "fat chic", I find myself saying the most ugly, hateful, downright mean things to myself. Things I would never say to another soul. And I judge my entire worth on how tightly or loosely my clothing fits. On how many chins I can count in a bad photograph. On the wiggle & jiggle of my lower biceps. Or how much extra boob squeezes out the side of my once-nicely-fitting bra. Would I judge an entire friendship or acquaintance based on such silly parameters? Never! And yet, my own worth is measured by the unattainable standards set by a society that has devalued women for centuries! Ridiculous! 

So this is the year. 2014 will be the year I stop hating my body. The year I begin to thank my body for being two legs that can run, jump, dance and play. Two arms that are strong, capable, caring and courageous. Feet with rhythm, muscles that work hard. Hands that play the piano, draw, write, create and build. A heart that has been weakened by the abuse of cigarettes and lack of exercise, but with the compassion and caring of Divine Love. The whole package...still young enough to make changes for health, all in the name of LOVING MYSELF. It will not be about a number on a scale. It will not be about the size on the label of my jeans. It will not be about fitting into someone else's idea of what I "should" look like. It will be about SHARING THE LOVE WITH MYSELF.  It will be all about me. By me. For me. Me and only me. 

I'm going to start saying "Thank you." when someone compliments me. I'm going to start speaking LOVE to myself and silence the dismissing, self-depricating terms I've thus far told myself. Even the skinny chics who I've rolled my eyes at when they've complained about a feature they didn't like about themselves. I'm sorry I did that. We are, each one of us, perfect & wonderful JUST THE WAY WE ARE. Sure, we can improve & love ourselves more fully. But acceptance of what we are NOW is the beginning of the journey. Accept it...it is TRUTH. And it's time that the truth set us free.

It's just frickin' time.

Amen?

GodBless, Namaste & as always... SHARE THE LOVE! ~P.Frye

My Hands

I was looking at my hands this morning, critiquing their shape, size, wrinkles, lines and need for a manicure. I'm sure arthritis and carpel tunnel are on the horizon and they'll only become more worn and weary as I age. But what magnificent tools! They have literally pulled me from treacherous places, pushed away dangerous situations, held tender moments, wiped away tears, folded in fervent prayer, wrung with worry, been fists of anger & fists of fight, flown plenty of peace signs and a few birds, spoken songs in sign language, cleaned up some pretty big messes, built an amazing life and helped me put into words and pictures all the crazy wonders inside my head. This morning, I am grateful for my hands. Sometimes, it's the simple things that help me focus on the greater meaning in life. 

I wish you all a beautiful day. May you use your hands today to uplift yourselves and each other. Namaste, and as always, SHARE THE LOVE. 

Frost-Bitten

Even knowing that all 44 of my years have been in Indiana/Idaho/Utah, it has become abundantly clear that I was not built for cold-weather climates. I have been lying to myself every winter. Gritting my teeth & baring it. If there's ever an apocalyptic event that causes the entire world to go into deep freeze, I will simply lay down, huddle in a ball, and pray for the sweet release of death. I. HATE. COLD. Fingers and toes should NOT stay popsicles. Legs should be warm and tanned. Faces should sting from healthy exposure to sunlight, not the slap of frigid air. Eyes should water from life experience- joy, pain, loss, excessive laughter- NOT as a result of cold breezes, sneezes and germs! I am more determined now to save for retiring to a tropical locale! With or without my kookie husband, who doesn't mind the cold, loves to hunt & fish, and secretly gets a kick from refusing to put on a coat when we're "just going out to the mancave." He's clinically insane. 

I miss sunshine. I miss warmth. I miss gentle breezes and the scent of lilac from the bushes in the yard. I NEED the sun. I crave being hot & sweaty- working outdoors with my hands in the dirt, sculpting and pruning my vegetation to make it beautiful & fruitful. I miss flip-flops and shorts, eating popsicles and crunching ice cubes. The whir of the fan in the window, and the chirp of crickets in the yard. These winter days seem eternal; a never-ending drudgery of darkness and cold. If I could just hibernate through it, and hunker down in the blankets and pillows until the beautiful sun beacons with springtime, I would be a happy girl. But alas, duties call. I must soak up the heat from my morning shower & pray for the intestinal fortitude to make it through another bone-chilling excursion into the frozen outdoors. 

Mark my words. One day I will live in a warmer climate. Where constant sunshine and warmth bring my heart joy. Until then, I'll bundle up and begrudgingly muddle through; warming my path along the way with smiles and laughter. Meanwhile, God bless the inventors of the indoor furnace & automobile heaters!

Only 57 more days 'til spring. Only 57. ONLY FIFTY-SEVEN? That's an eternity... Gaaaaaaaaa...

For My Sisters

After the first Sister Week (my sisters and I take a week each summer to be together.) none of us were sure we would continue it. That was hard. Getting to know each other again, as women- as adults all. But we CHOSE to commit to it, and have WORKED to keep our relationships. We stumble, loose touch, fail to be there, repent, ask forgiveness and work at it some more. We are all constantly changing and evolving and we are different women each time we get together. Sometimes not as much as others, but there have been Sister Weeks that were anything BUT a vacation. We talk about the hard stuff. We contemplate the big "Why" questions and we support each other through our evolutions. We CHOOSE to be friends and sisters and we have to keep choosing that, or we would be like every other sibling-hood on the planet. Polite to one another but distant and removed; hugging the brief "hello old friend" hugs at weddings and funerals and the occasional holiday. We would naturally drift apart because life is constantly moving, changing and shifting with or without us. And we WANT to be in this journey with and for each other. We are sisters because of birth. Mom and Dad gave us that. But we remain sister-friends because we make it a priority. Simple as that.

The Origin of this Blog

I have been writing and posting my Share the Love philosophy via Facebook for many years. I don't know what took me so long to start a blog. Last October I wrote the following piece. My sister suggested the name of my future blog based on this writing. So T-nut. This one's for you.

Everyone is entitled to their own belief system. Your path to Heaven may not be the same as mine. Your god may answer to a different name, or your idea of The Maker may be different than mine. Your concept of Christ may vary from mine. Someone who's interpretation of the bible or another scripture is not exactly like yours is not evil or to be pitied because they have "gone astray." Judgements and condemnation have no place in our human relationships. Falsehoods have been preached and hammered and engrained into us for thousands of years. Shame and guilt and fear have been the tools of our hierarchies for far too long.  TRUTH: The Divine Creator is never far away and we can receive our own, direct, "no-middle-man-needed" revelations for living a LOVE centered life. We are all hard-wired in our very essence to the One we came from - the One to whom we will return. Whatever your path is, respect all other journeys and chose to SHARE THE LOVE. Please...for the love of ALL that is holy.

Sailing Through Life

We have always heard, "It is better to give than to receive." But instead of receiving, we have embraced want, desire and greed. Things have become our most cherished thoughts and stuff our highest goal. In order to truly give or receive, we must get back to the basics of connectedness - the Divine purpose of our souls' journey: to LOVE our Creator & one another. How can I "give" if I do not live embracing ALL my fellow life-travelers?

I need to constantly be re-evaluating my thoughts, words and actions and adjust my forward motion to the course which brings me ever closer to that Divine purpose: LOVE. I will try not to judge my past as wrong or "bad", but as a learning experience from which to glean understanding. Like the sailors of old, I must use what I have naturally available to chart my course. The people in my life are like the stars; each constellation pointing my way. Some larger "stars" providing much needed insight and perspective.  The Divine is my wind; steering my vessel where I will have opportunity to either harness it's power or fight against it in a fruitless effort to go my own direction. My choices; where I place the rudder and how I use the sails determining my direction and ultimate destination. Lastly, remember "A smooth sea never made a good sailor." ~P.Frye