drnikki.com Blog

Thursday has arrived again!  Another week has gone by, soon we’ll be into May!  We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying a great week this week, working forward.

Today we’re going to talk about being an inspiration.  I’m a big fan of the court TV shows…Judges Marilyn, Joe, Alex, Janeen and, Judge Lynn Toller from Divorce Court.  They are the normal afternoon fare and keep me company as I go about my work and chores, much as many use music.

Judge Lynn has a great question we can all apply to our life and relationships:  “What have you done to inspire?”  She asks this of both males and females.  It is an excellent question that can be applied in a myriad of ways.

For example, when the wife is carping that the husband doesn’t do all the romantic things he used to, Judge Toller probes and asks the wife: What have you done to inspire?  What have you done to make him feel that first rush of love and romance?  What have you done to make him feel like he would want to do something special for you?  When was the last time you did something special for him?

Conversely, when it comes to the husband, the questions are much the same.  Want her to wake you up with coffee made and breakfast on the stove?  Inspire that action by doing something wonderful for her yourself.  When was the last time you brought flowers home for no reason.  When did you last give her a card just because?  Have you done the dishes after dinner lately when she cooked?

It is very easy to see that the idea of being an inspiration could do a lot of good for almost every relationship.  But it needn’t stop there.  In almost every aspect of our lives we could benefit if we always strove to be an inspiration. 

Imagine if we applied that theory to our work ethic; our spiritual connection; our relationships with our children, friends and family!  Or, if we even challenged ourselves to do one inspirational thing a day.  We needn’t move mountains to be an inspiration.  Sometimes we only need to be ourselves for that to happen.

I’d love to hear examples of how you have been inspired by another!

Howdy!  Can you believe it is Wednesday already?  Where is the time going?

Yesterday we received the devastating news that my mother-in-law had passed from this world.  While not unexpected or a surprise of any type, it still took the wind out of our sails!

It was a difficult day yesterday with lots of misty eyes and fighting the tears.  However, there was a majikal point for Sam I really thing is worth relating.

Sam loves thunder…hearing the gods speak and all that.  Well, yesterday we had a thunder snow storm that let loose two real good peals of thunder.  We choose to interpret this as his Mom and Dad letting him know that everything is well for them. 

I had the same type of experience the night my mother passed away back in 1998.  She wanted to stay home in her last few weeks so I was staying with her as her medical caregiver.  She passed quietly and later that evening the northern lights were as good as I had ever seen them after 25 years of living in Alaska.  While Marlene and I watched the lights three shooting stars streaked across the sky – one for each of the three children Nancy (mom) was leaving behind.

Some may say that I’m stretching on the wyrd part, but I don’t believe so.   In my experience things like this are messages …  we just have to open our hearts to hear the message!

So look up, look around, see what is happening around you.

Earlier this morning as the snow fell gently in the yard my husband received one of those telephone calls that means your life is never going to be the same again.  Following a decline in her health of the past few months, his mother passed away.  It was not unexpected, she had been ill and had been placed in hospice care.  The telephone calls back and forth have been steadily increasing over the past few months with discussions about health and it being up to Mom and it depended on how tired and ready to go she was…those difficult conversations that can either bring a family together or tear it totally apart. 

I am thrilled that I had the honor of meeting this lovely lady a couple of years ago when we made a short trip home for me to meet Sam’s family.   Spry, wry, and a twinkle in her eye, she was well past 80 and full of it as my mother would have said.

She grew up, married a man, had six children they raised together.  While I met her, I really can’t say I knew her and I feel that loss.  But not nearly as much as my husband feels his.  By the time I was 40 both my parents were gone. 

So today, instead of discussing tarot, we’re softly saying goodbye to a wonderful lady who slipped away this morning from the bosom of a loving family who will miss her immensely.

It’s Monday again already!  Time sure is flying by this year.  It does not seem like there is already a third of the year gone by.  Soon we’ll be transversing into May.

Here in Montana spring is having a hard time getting its act together.  Many are feeling grumpy and frustrated as many who enjoy spring activities are stuck inside due to the cold and wet weather.  We’ve had a few glimpses of sunlight and we know the sun is still up there, but it doesn’t want to shine very much.

In a much reduced way, did you know your smile could help someone having a bad day.  It doesn’t even have to be someone you know.  It could be someone at the grocery store or a co-worker.  Just try it out.  Smiles are infectious, create a feeling of wellbeing, and truly can change someone’s entire outlook.  When you smile at others many will respond.  Just think…with a simple smile you could make the difference in someone’s day, turning a bad day into a good one.  So wear a smile!

If you haven’t already, please see our previous post regarding donations to help those that have lost everything in the tornadoes of the past few days.

Starting this week we will be running a ten to twelve week discussion on the duties and responsibilities of the American citizen.  We encourage people to comment and let us know what you think about a citizen’s duty and responsibility here in the United States.

Duty and responsibility are important words.  Most of us over the age of 12 in America know what our rights are as citizens in this country.  We know we have the right to remain silent, we know we don’t have to testify against ourselves in a court of law (commonly known as pleading the 5th), we know we have to be served with a warrant for someone to search our home, we know the government can’t just come in and commandeer everything we own because it is convenient, we know we are guaranteed these protections and more by our constitution.  Our rights are spelled out specifically, and justifiably so.

But how many out there can state the six duties a citizen has to the country?  (And yes, that’s country, not government – the citizen’s duty may really be more to their fellow citizen than to the government that serves them.)  There are six specific categories of duty that a citizen has as a member of the “American Citizen Club.”  They are: 

Obeying the laws                                  Paying taxes

Defending the nation                          Serving in court

Attending school                                  Voting

Along with these six duties, there are also specific responsibilities that we as citizens are supposed to carry out and act on.  Those responsibilities include:

                         Being informed about the government and knowing your rights in order   to preserve them

                         Participating in government

                         Respecting the rights of others

                         Respecting diversity

We hope you’ll join us and chime in with your thoughts!

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost friends or family in the tornados.  We will hold them and the survivors of the storms in our hearts and prayers.  If you want to help those suffering from the catastrophic loss these storms can bring, please visit the American Red Cross donation page at:  https://american.redcross.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=ggl_main&gclid=CPHUpLzlo6gCFQ10gwodqnlEIA

Hello hello hello!!

Well, this week I was going to comment about the stars we can see out our window at night.  However, there’s been a problem seeing the stars out our window at night because we’ve been covered with clouds for most of the past week.  While the plants are digging the damp cool weather, personally I could do with some good old sunshine.

So..if I can’t have it, I guess I’ll just talk about…sunshine.  Bright, strong, steady, warm you up sunshine.  Yes indeedy do, that’s exactly what we need.  A good shot of sunshine to make us all a little happier.

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-solar.html

This is a link to some great sun shots at NASA – click on some of the enhanced images to see different details. 

Remember – look up! to see things of wonder!

Black and white photos, but very impressive! These embroideries are lovely examples of the traditional Christian style.

http://thenashdomchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/09/liturgical-embroidery.html

These are modern studying embroidery at jctextilearts.com. There are some lovely intrepretations of symbolism in the pieces the students create!

http://www.jctextilearts.com/studentgallery/level-two-modules/liturgical-embroidery/

Just try doing a search for liturgical embroideries. Most of the first page will be stores selling kits, classes and more. However, if you scroll down towards the bottom you’ll start seeing some great links. Make sure to check out the links for musuems. The Victoria and Albert Musuem has some great stuff…not to mention museums around the world that have added internet galleries.

The World Is Your Oyster – Go Find Yourself A Pearl.

This was one of Mom’s favorite sayings. I don’t think I figured out what that meant until I was a teenager. Then I didn’t want oysters and pearls and allegories or metaphors. Like most teens, I wanted experience and to live my life by my own rules!

Now that I’ve had the opportunity to have that experience I have to thank Mom for cementing that phrase into my mind. It’s actually an important one that carries a lot of meaning for me. However, the deepest meaning for me is that YOU have to go find YOUR pearl – it isn’t going to just fall in your lap nice and easy.

There’s a personal responsibility for providing for one’s own happiness or financial state in there – plain and simple. We weren’t raised to expect things to be easy or given to us, we were raised that life was hard and you got out of it what you put in to it.

Another meaning is to remember to stop and smell the roses (look for the pearls) along the way. Whether it is taking a moment to watch a child at play, watching the clouds drift across a powder blue sky, or watching a spider spin her web, take time to connect with that which is within you, for in doing that you achieve the higher part of yourself.

Don’t forget the connection between pearls and wisdom either! In many of the ancient traditions the pearl is the font of wisdom. The Celts hold the pearl high in their symbolism. Animals depicted with a pearl were said to be wise. “Pearls of wisdom!” Sometimes Mom was intentionally sending me out there, knowing I would fail! She wanted me to know that I can fail and still keep going. She wanted me to understand that just because one thing didn’t work the way it was supposed to, that didn’t mean I got to throw out the whole project and quit. She wanted me to garner the wisdom that application of effort over time normally pays off to your advantage.

Now pearls are a motivation for me. Pearls remind me of Mom and the strength of character with which she lived her life. Pearls are a connection. Pearls are a reminder. What’s your pearl?

Instant Karma.

A couple of years ago my husband and I were trapped on a plane behind one of those two year olds. She was bouncing all over the seats, standing and looking over the back of the seat and doing raspberries at us in the seat behind her. It was so bad that several of the other passengers complained. The stewardesses did what they could – they took Dad in the back and asked him to move forward and help control the child.

The flight continued with this little girl getting anything and everything she wanted, she didn’t even have to ask, all she had to do was point and grunt. Fruit juice, soda, milk, candy, candy, candy candy candy…. sweets, water, soda, candy candy candy!

Frustrated, several of us seated around this charming (and I do use that term loosely here) couple and their child started asking them directly to control the monster (who was actually quite cute and sweet looking – oval face, hair in Punky Brewster pigtails with pink bows, black velvet dress with white pintucked bib, white tights and little patent leather shoes.) The Dad’s response was a snarly and sarcastic “she’s only 2, what do you recommend I do?” Let’s just say he could not be convinced of the reality that he was 6’5″ and his tyrant of a child was maybe all of 35 pounds total.

Well, child was allowed to continue in her tyrannical ways. She pulled her mother’s hair so the Dad pulled out her little dvd player that only kept her entertained for a matter of two or three minutes because it only had one cartoon – which she obviously knew by heart because she sang it at the top of her lungs with lots of conviction!

You wondering just where Karma is in all this yet? Can you guess?

Throwing her DVD player at Dad the little heathen slapped (and I mean SLAPPED) her Mom and demanded another cookie. Mom started to refuse, but before she could guard against it the brat grabbed the cookies and gobbled them down without a breath – literally! Then she stood up on the seat and started slam dropping herself onto the seat. On the third go round of this activity, just as she was getting ready to again test the resilience of her seat cushion, PROJECTILE vomiting…all over both her parients.

The stewardesses were quick to be passing out coffee packets to ensure that the rest of the passengers around the area were kept as comfortable as possible. It was actually quite some time before there was anyone available to assist the parents!

Many a secret smile was shared among us passengers when from a few seats behind we hear someone say “thank you Karma!” It even received a smattering of applause.

Mom and Dad remained subdued through the remainder of the flight and the little hellion..oh, I mean little girl? Having carried on for literally two hours, after getting cleaned up, she slept the remainder of the flight curled up in Mom’s lap.

In the long run, the one I felt sorry for the most? That vicious little …oh, I mean that sweet little girl. Without being taught appropriate behaviors and being taught to expect everything she wants with no restraint, it may be more than a little difficult for her to cope in modern society. It also shows that while it may in the immediate be easier to just give in and let the child have their way, it may not be in the best interest of the child.