Long road winding

Author Unknown

Long road winding began in the stars,

spilled onto the mountain tops,

was carried in the snow to the streams,

to the rivers, to the ocean!

It covers Canada, Alaska, America,

Mexico to Guatemala,

and keeps winding around the indigenous.

The Red Road is a circle of people

standing hand in hand,

people in this world, people between

people in the Spirit world.

star people, animal people, stone people,

river people, tree people!

The Sacred Hoop.

To walk the Red Road

is to know sacrifice, suffering.

It is to understand humility.

It is the ability to stand naked before God

in all things for your wrong doings,

for your lack of strength,

for your uncompassionate way,

for your arrogance - because to walk

the Red Road, you always know

you can do better. And you know,

when you do good things,

it is through the Creator, and you are grateful.

To walk the Red Road

is to know you stand on equal ground

with all living things. It is to know that

because you were born human,

it gives you superiority over nothing.

It is to know that every creation carries a Spirit,

and the river knows more than you do,

the mountains know more than you do,

the stone people know more than you do,

the trees know more than you do,

the wind is wiser than you are,

and animal people carry wisdom.

You can learn from every one of them,

because they have something you don't:

They are void of evil thoughts.

They wish vengeance on no one, they seek Justice.

To Walk the Red Road,

you have God given rights,

you have the right to pray,

you have the right to dance,

you have the right to think,

you have the right to protect,

you have the right to know Mother,

you have the right to dream,

you have the right to vision,

you have the right to teach,

you have the right to learn,

you have a right to grieve,

you have a right to happiness,

you have the right to fix the wrongs,

you have the right to truth,

you have a right to the Spirit World.

To Walk the Red Road

is to know your Ancestors,

to call to them for assistance!

It is to know that there is good medicine,

and there is bad medicine!

It is to know that Evil exists,

but is cowardly as it is often in disguise.

It is to know there are evil spirits

who are in constant watch

for a way to gain strength for themselves

at the expense of you.

To Walk the Red Road,

you have less fear of being wrong,

because you know that life is a journey,

a continuous circle, a sacred hoop.

Mistakes will be made,

and mistakes can be corrected -

if you will be humble,

for if you cannot be humble,

you will never know

when you have made a mistake.

If you walk the Red Road,

you know that every sorrow

leads to a better understanding,

every horror cannot be explained,

but can offer growth.

To Walk the Red Road

is to look for beauty in all things.

To Walk the Red Road

is to know you will one day

cross to the Spirit World, and you will not be afraid!

"A Buddhist Prayer of Forgiveness"

"A Buddhist Prayer of Forgiveness"

"If I have harmed anyone in any way
either knowingly or unknowingly
through my own confusions
I ask their forgiveness.
If anyone has harmed me in any way
either knowingly or unknowingly
through their own confusions
I forgive them.
And if there is a situation
I am not yet ready to forgive
I forgive myself for that.
For all the ways that I harm myself,
negate, doubt, belittle myself,
judge or be unkind to myself
through my own confusions
I forgive myself."

Your mother....

"Your mother pushes your button because she installed them baby!" 

 Robin Williams

Seals and Croft....

"I may never pass this way again,
I want to laugh while ghe laughing is easy,
I want to cry if it makes it worthwhile,
We may never pass this way again..."

KEY TOLOVE AND FEAR

"You hold the key to love and fear,
All in your trembling hand.
Just one key unlocks them both,
It's there at your command."

Get Together
Th Youngbloods

Wild Woman

Being squelched for loving beauty is possibly the worst thing you can do to a woman. It is not possible for her to have a full life if that is done to her, at her, for her.

Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Thoughts on life from a friend

Written by a 90 year old

                 This is something we should all read at least once a week!!!!! Make sure you read to the end!!!!!!

                 Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland,Ohio .

                 "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

                 My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

                 1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

                 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

                 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

                 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

                 5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

                 6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

                 7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

                 8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

                 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

                 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

                 11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

                 12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

                 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

                 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

                 15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

                 16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

                 17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

                 18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

                 19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

                 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no  for an answer.

                 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.  Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

                 22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

                 23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

                 24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

                 25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

                 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

                 27. Always choose life.

                 28. Forgive everyone everything.

                 29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

                 30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

                 31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

                 32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

                 33. Believe in miracles.

                 34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

                 35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

                 36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

                 37. Your children get only one childhood.

                 38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

                 39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

                 40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

                 41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

                 42. The best is yet to come...

                 43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

                 44. Yield.

                 45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

                 Its estimated 93% won't forward this. If you are one of the 7% who will forward this with the title '7%'.   I'm in the 7%. Friends are the family that we choose!

LOVE RULES

This came from a horoscope but in reality is the truth.

We all have love rules. These are the criteria we use to find a mate - weed out the bad ones and identify the keepers. 

Once in relationships, we hold our partners to specific standards and if they break too many of our rules, we tend to doubt the value of the relationship, or break it off altogether. What are your rules? Are they working out for you? That is, are you with the partner of your  dreams? Maybe you don't even know who this person is yet.  While you shouldn't expect a fairytale lover with no flaws, unless you have a partner in your life who makes you smile, helps you feel good about yourself, and treats you with great respect, it might be time to rewrite your love rules!

patience

"The secret of patience is to do something else in the meantime." - Anonymous

May time greet the morning with warmth, the day with love, 

and the year ahead with joy.

Blessed are we whose lives are touched by people who care.

Sweet memories are woven from the good times.

Take Courage.  All things are possible to a believing heart.

Cowboy Rules

Cowboy rules for:
Arizona, Texas , Colorado , Oklahoma , New Mexico , Wyoming , Montana , Utah , Idaho, Nevada and the rest of the Wild West are as follows:

1. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot.
2. Turn your cap right, your head ain't crooked.
3. Let's get this straight: it's called a 'gravel road.' I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you're gonna get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.
4. They are cattle. That's why they smell like cattle. They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? I-10, I-40, I-70 and I-80 go east and west, I-17, I-15, I-25 and I-35 goes north and south. Pick one and go.
5. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $250,000 Combines that are driven only 3 weeks a year.
6. Every person in the Wild West waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept...
7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of geese/pheasants/ducks/doves are comin' in during the hunts, we WILL shoot it outa your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.
8. Yeah. We eat trout, salmon, deer and elk. You really want sushi and caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.
9. The 'Opener' refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.
10. We open doors for women. That's applied to all women, regardless of age.
11. No, there's no 'vegetarian special' on the menu. Order steak, or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham and turkey. 12. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup! Oh, yeah . . We don't care what you folks in Cincinnati call that stuff you eat IT AIN'T REAL CHILI!!
13. You bring 'Coke' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice. You bring 'Mary Jane' into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.
14. College and High School Football is as important here as the Giants, the Yankees, the Mets, the Lakers and the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.
15. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards - it spooks the fish.
16. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we want to see your boxers! Refer back to #1!

A true Westerner will send this to at least 10 others and a few new friends that probably won't get it, but we're friendly so we share in hopes you can begin to understand what a real life is all about!!!

Thoughts on life

http://www.gocomics.com/pibgorn/2009/11/12/

http://comics.com/frazz/

Mom's lessons

I know we would be rich by now! The great thing is I hear all of the kids saying the same things to their children or nieces/nephews! It is a wonderful thing to know all those lessons stuck somewhere in their heads after all!

How many times did your Mom say...

Friends

Don't spend major time with minor people. If there are people in your life that continually disappoint you, break promises, stomp on your dreams, too judgmental, have different values and don't have your back during difficult times... that is not a friend.

To have a friend, be a friend. Sometimes in life as you grow, your friends will either grow or go. Surround yourself with people who reflect your values, goals, interests, and lifestyle.

When I think of any of my successes, I am thankful to God from whom all blessings flow, and to my family and friends that enrich my life. Over the years my phone book has changed because I changed for the better. At first you think you're going to be alone, but after a while new people show up in your life that make your life so much sweeter and easier to endure.

Remember what your elders used to say, "Birds of a feather flock together." If you're an eagle, don't hang around chickens…

Chickens Can't Fly!

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:
1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.

And what is a family if not a team...

Profile of a DREAM Team

Works toward a common goal ~

~ Develops its member's' skills ~

~ Efficiently uses its time and talents ~

~ Embraces the diversity of its members ~

~ Is committed to continuous improvement ~

~ Builds moral internally ~

~ Performs effectively and produces results ~

~ Accepts praise and criticism ~

~ Cooperates rather than competes ~

~ Maintains a positive attitude toward everyone's ideas ~

~ Stays on task ~

~ Uses resources wisely ~

~ Communicates openly ~

~ Teaches and learns from one another ~

~ Resolves conflicts effectively ~

~ Welcomes challenges ~

~ Shares pride in its accomplishments ~

~ Celebrates successes!

Each Of Us Are Special

Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Do not set your goals by what other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Do not let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past nor for the future.
By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Do not give up when you have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. It is fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Do not be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love. The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.

Do not dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope. To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Do not run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been but also where you are going.

Life is not a race but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

Author Unknown

Fear

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

"You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking, so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest that which is within us. It's not just in some of us - it's in everyone. "As we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

--Nelson Mandela