“Every time you get peaceful He turns the heat up, like gold that is tried in the fire seven times.” 

                            -The Seeker

ever feel rejected?  did you buy into it?

a few years ago i met a Seeker of Wisdom who renamed Faith for me in one sentence, “even sloppy detachment is good enough for God.”  since then we have conversed often and many pages of The Seeker’s wisdom have been given to me - to share here with you.

the papers were given to me with one request: that the seeker remains anonymous.   i will keep my promise, so that i may share the writings and encourage you, whatever your faith, to grow spiritually. 

why?  when you’re in hell, or even just passing through it, one word seems to cross all of our minds, “Help.”  i have spent many nights in the depths of my own inner turmoil-it is from there we reach out.  someone will be there.  grab on and be pulled out back to your joy.

...it is safe to be who you know you are.

asking for help is one of the hardest things we learn to do.  accepting it is in second place.  saying i’m sorry, is probably third.  but if we give up, on ourselves or on each other - what’s the purpose of living?

people give up on me all the time!  it’s ok!  but who am i to throw me away?  would we teach this to our children?  in fact, it has been my children who have been my most graceful teachers of staying in the moment, keeping your eyes on what your doing, where you are going and having fun (no matter how difficult it may be) while you are getting there.  it’s a commitment we make to the future and to ourselves.  the payoffs are huge, but the work can be overwhelming.

Shreve Stockton, author of The Daily Coyote, is someone who took her dreams in her hands and has shown the world what a commitment can become.  i keep her book where i can see it every day on the way to and from my bedroom.  a reminder that somewhere in Wyoming she is working far harder on a homestead than i have to here-and loving it.  i have learned to love every chore, late night, early morning, freezing rain dog walks and situation i go through knowing she has persevered and continues to light our world by sharing hers.

a gift from my children:  children will teach you to go with the flow.  after we have been trained to resist our own inner guidance we come here, or to people and places like this one, to remember who we really are.  and bring our gift back to ourselves.  you are the gift, you are your own answer.  nothing has been lost-your dreams are secure and safe, waiting for you to open your mind and trust yourself once more.

why not try living like a child again, just for today, and set your own standards, live your own song and laugh at the world for a change? 

“i will laugh at the world.  and with my laughter all things will be reduced to their proper size.  i will laugh at my failures and they will vanish in clouds of new dreams; i will laugh at my successes and they will shrink to their true value.  i will laugh at evil and it will die untasted; i will laugh at goodness and it will thrive and abound.” Og Mandino.

a second blog will begin in the next few weeks.  excerpts from emails between me and my friend Anna.  Anna found me by a facebook miracle-literally.  though i have a ‘profile’ i had no friends, no photos - nothing.  for some reason my name and profile kept appearing on her page as “add as friend”, but none of her other friends had the same thing happening...she will tell the rest of the story for you, in her own words in our soon to be posted “fuel of grace” blog.  sometimes it is comforting to look into the lives of others for joy and inspiration.  her words have gotten me up in the middle of the night to see what has arrived while i was sleeping.

for those who have been wondering where i’ve been:

a lot of souls in my life decided to “go home” over the past six months...and i’ve been intentionally ‘off line’ to keep on task with other matters-school, home, self, music and healing - myself and others.  luckily, those who have chosen to walk with me on my unplugged path have been wonderfully kind and humorous.  i love a good laugh, a good friend and i’m always up for a cup of coffee and a good story-you know that. 

music i’ve been listening to the most during the changing seasons:

Take That: I’d Wait for Life

Liz Phair-all of it...

Joni Mitchell’s Turbulent Indigo & Miles of Aisles

Christina Aguilera’s Back to Basics

(you can clean like crazy to this one)

quote until I change my mind: 

“I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I act?  I will love all manners of men for each has qualities to be admired even though they be hidden.  With love I will tear down the wall of suspicion and hate which they have built around their hearts and in its place will I build bridges so that my love may enter their souls.” - Og Mandino

you can write to ask me, Anna & The Seeker (but give me time to contact) just about anything at: iamthatiampublishing@gmail.com

A Warm Welcome