Posted by Mary D'Alba on Sunday, May 20, 2012,
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I was walking up the stairs to my office and my psychic
development student was waiting for me.
I looked up and saw her face - she looked so sad.
"How are you, sweetie?" I said.
She looked at me and said "Doing fine!"
I paused. She smiled
and said, "Well, no, I'm not, but that's what everyone says, right?"
And she's right. When
we ask someone how he or she is doing, that person usually says "I'm
fine." It's a common response, one
we never think about or really acknowledge.
We're con... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Friday, May 18, 2012,
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I was having a discussion with a friend about emotions and handling stress that comes up on a day to day basis. I've accepted stress is part of my life but I also realize it's my choice how to handle it.
I said to him, "Part of my journey is to be the Master of me, the Master of my emotions. I am in control of how I handle what comes up in front of me."
This statement made me pause - what is the meaning of being a Master? A Master is someone that is an expert and has a high level of ski... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Friday, February 3, 2012,
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I had dinner with my cousin the other night. It was so
nice to catch up with her. We have a wonderful
relationship where we can talk, laugh and cry about anything.
Somewhere in our conversation, we started talking about
the difference between jobs and our work. Most people have a job.
This is something that we need to have to have to pay the
bills. It can be good or bad. It could even be something we could
be very good at day-to-day but chances are it's not what we really want to be
do... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Tuesday, January 31, 2012,
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I get
knocked down.
I am
shocked, stunned,
my hands
are bruised,
but I
struggle to my feet.
I get
knocked down.
I am hurt,
crying,
my body is
weary,
but I claw
my way back.
I get
knocked down.
I am
angry, gritting my teeth,
my back is
strained,
but I pull
myself up.
I get
knocked down.
I am
defensive, ready to fight,
my legs
are sore,
but I
won't stay down.
I get
knocked down.
I am
peaceful, graceful,
my body is
solid,
and I rise
to my strength.
I get
knocked down
but
nothing will k... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Monday, January 30, 2012,
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Those two little words - I AM. We use them many time
to start a sentence. "I am tired.", "I am cold",
"I am happy". Those two words at the start of the sentence
gives us lots of different ways to identify and express ourselves. Do we
always think about those words that come after "I AM"? Let's
look at how those words impact us at some of our core beliefs and how being
more positive in our "I AM" statements will benefit us in the long
run.
Those words I AM make a declaration. It's a po... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Thursday, January 26, 2012,
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I was watching one of my favorite movies Evan Almighty tonight and on top of being a really funny movie (Steve Carrell with a Noah hair cut and beard - c'mon!), I loved one of the thoughts presented in the movie.
Evan's wife, Joan, had taken a break from Evan because it seemed that he had gone loopy. While traveling to her mother's house to stay for a while, Joan decides to get dinner. While she is sitting in a restaurant having dinner on the TV comes John Stewart make fun of Evan. People ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Monday, January 9, 2012,
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My favorite of the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is “Always Do Your Best”. This agreement might be one of the toughest ones to follow because we can beat ourselves up when we feel like we don’t do our best. Or if we do our best but then don’t get the result, we feel like we failed. “Always Doing Your Best” means to work to the highest capacity. Striving for the ultimate results is what we’re conditioned to in life. However, have we considered that each day our capacity ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Wednesday, January 4, 2012,
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We've all heard the term "Burning Bridges". When I happen to think of it, I think of a long wooden bridge between two cliffs that goes up in a huge dramatic puff of smoke. When the smoke clears, the two people on either side can finally see each other. It's a clear sign something is over because there is no way to cross to each other anymore. The bridge and the relationship has burned to a crisp.
I happened to be talking to someone the other day and instead of saying "burning the bri... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Monday, January 2, 2012,
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Articles
I was doing a reading with a
client that has been going through a lot of changes recently. The
"she has a lot on her plate" phrase wouldn't even begin to cover what
she was dealing with this past year and what's coming up for her.
As we were talking about the
new exciting (but to her scary) challenges and changes that are coming up for
her, she said, "I ask myself all the time, 'Can I do this?'."
I said to her, "Instead
of saying 'Can I do this?’ tell yourself 'I can do this.' Just swi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Tuesday, December 6, 2011,
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Articles
~I've been getting a lot of questions on dreams lately so I'm republishing this article to help people work their dreams. There is some great information in your dreams so pay attention. Enjoy!~
People want to remember their dreams - is there prophecy there? Will I get a message? Maybe a deceased loved one will come and speak with me? All of the above are possible but you need some tools to help. Here's some suggestions: First, know that dream interpretation is successful when the person ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Tuesday, August 16, 2011,
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Articles
However, to do all that, it takes constant effort. I can't think of how many times I've wondered why there aren't more hours in the day or if could I get through the next day with little sleep.
We are busy people these days, aren't we? We have so much on our plates - errands to run, work to do, family to support, work out, tasks to finish - personal, professional. Sure, we can check all those things off our lists. We accomplish so much all the time.
But what about the pace of always being ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Sunday, August 14, 2011,
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Articles
Has there been a time in your life that you decided to do something different? Finally! You know what you want to do with your life! And then all of a sudden - all that fear, the doubts, the past, the things you “must do” - hold you back. “That idea is crazy”, “Why would you do something so silly?” for example, those are the voices that tug at you, sometimes not so softly, to stop you. And many times, they do. What is all the muck that comes into your life to stop you from wh... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Saturday, August 13, 2011,
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I was thinking about the concept of creation and how creative we really are, whether or not we think so. I was watching one of those competition reality shows (Project Runway) where there was a grand prize at the end, after many creations and challenges. The designers have to be judged weekly on brand new creations and ride the highs and lows as they work through the good and bad times. As I was thinking about it, I was wondering what life would be like if we created from scratch everyday, ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Wednesday, August 3, 2011,
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Articles
~One from the archives. Enjoy!~ Today, a very good friend of mine started the journey to finish her second college degree. She walked back into a classroom after several years and is starting the first of a two semester journey to this degree. I'm really proud that she decided, in her early 40s, to finish what she started over 10 years ago. The reason why I mention her age is significant. She said to me, "Mary, I was looking around and seeing the young faces - some as young as 17! It mad... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Tuesday, August 2, 2011,
In :
Articles
~I've been getting a lot of questions on dreams lately so I'm republishing this article to help people work their dreams. There is some great information in your dreams so pay attention. Enjoy!~ People want to remember their dreams - is there prophecy there? Will I get a message? Maybe a deceased loved one will come and speak with me? All of the above are possible but you need some tools to help. Here's some suggestions: First, know that dream interpretation is successful when the person... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Monday, August 1, 2011,
In :
Articles
I happened to be watching "LA Ink" the other night with Kat Von D. She did a tattoo on a woman named "Miss Claire". It was a pretty interesting tattoo - a pocket watch with the time "Thirteen O’clock". The reason why Miss Claire did this tattoo was because she wanted it to represent that fact that she had wasted a lot of time waiting to do what she wanted to do in life. She kept saying "once I did this, I could do that". And finally, she realized that she was wasting time and it was ti...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Sunday, July 31, 2011,
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Articles
I was driving along with my mom today, heading to the mall to get our nails done. We happened to take a cut through to avoid the highway and I passed by an area that brought back a memory. Bear with me as I tell this story. When I was 16 and on my second to last driving lesson, I took a right at the corner of a busy intersection in Malden, MA. I was promptly greeted by a cruiser flying head on towards me. I hit the break the same time as the driving instructor did. He took the wheel f... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Saturday, July 30, 2011,
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Strength. It's an interesting word. Sometimes when I hear this word, it conjures up the image of a body builder who can lift practically anything. There is also another kind of strength and I think this is the one that is harder to find but stronger than the best bodybuilder. It's the strength we have inside of us to handle situations that come our way. We never know what we are capable of until we are faced with it but we surprise ourselves with will to tackle what we need to handle, no... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Friday, July 29, 2011,
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Articles
Have you ever wondered what your purpose is? Why am I here? Well, a lot of that information is with you. No one can tell you - you have to be connected with what's going on within you to bring it out.
With all the choices you've made, and all the sadness and joys you've felt, with all the craziness and calm, somewhere inside you, there are goals and dreams just waiting to be realized.
Know what with each choice you make lessons can be learned and challenges can be overcome. A clear plan wil...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Thursday, July 28, 2011,
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Articles
I did a
reading today with a woman who is going through a lot. She's a mom so, of
course, most of her reading focused on her children. They are going
through a hard time - some medical issues, trying to find jobs, moving out on
their own - lots of different things at once.
She is
someone who prays a lot but one of the things she said to me made me stop for a
moment.
"Other
people have so many bigger problems than I do. I am blessed with a
lot. I feel guilty asking God to help me with m... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Wednesday, July 27, 2011,
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Articles
~Note: I republish this article from time to time to remind us that we have to take care of ourselves, not just other people. Enjoy!~ I have a really good friend of mine who has been going through substance abuse issues for the twelve years that I’ve known him. It’s been one drama after another: between homelessness, fights, hospital visits, jail, several rehabs and conversations where I can’t even understand what he’s saying to me because he’s so drunk. It’s painful for me to w... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Sunday, July 24, 2011,
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One of my favorite cards in my tarot deck is the Wheel of Fortune. It is the one of the Major Arcana cards, which means it is a card that indicates an important life event. It is usually depicted as a wheel spinning around. The Wheel of Fortune means the destiny wheel is constantly turning and, if we don’t like what is happening, we should wait because change will come around. Many people think Karma is cause and effect. For example, if I do something “good”, good comes back to me. ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Wednesday, July 20, 2011,
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There is
so much going on in the world today. I was having a discussion with a
friend of mine about the future, what's happening with the economy and life in
general.
I said to her, "I can see it getting better but people have to let go
of the comfortable grip of fear."
The comfortable grip of fear? I paused after I said that to her.
For some people, the fear that is out there in the media, the economy, even
what is created in their own minds, is very comfortable.
I wondered how that ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Monday, July 18, 2011,
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Articles
We're not good with change as humans. We like things to be stable and when the
unknown gets thrown into the mix, we struggle to find the solid ground again.
This is understandable.
We work so hard to get what we have, we want to keep our families in the
lifestyle they are used to and we have our routine down pat. So when things start shifting, we worry that
life is never going to be stable again.
We focus so much on the uncertainty, we forget this is a part of
life. Life is always goi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Monday, June 20, 2011,
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I was talking to a friend of mine today and we talking about someone we both knew. They seemed to be having a hard time and just "can't see the forest from the trees". I said, "Yeah, sometimes people know what the trees are all about, they just don't want to cut them down." The trees are comfortable - they shield you from what's outside, they kept you warm and you know exactly which way to turn in this forest that has grown around you. Who really wants to clear a new path? The forest does... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Tuesday, June 7, 2011,
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I have started looking back at the teachings of The Secret and one of the things I like was the concept of being grateful. No matter what is going wrong, no matter what is happening, the theory is to be grateful for everything in your life, even the hard lessons. The thought is that being grateful will help you see what you already have in your life. It shows you how abundant you really are. It's not just material things but also your relationships, your talents and your gifts. There have... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Wednesday, May 25, 2011,
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John Lennon once sang “Instant Karma’s gonna get you…” For years, people have said (usually when something bad happens in their lives), “Karma got me – what did I do?” Karma gets blamed very easily for the bad things that happen in people’s lives but what about the good things? What if situations are neither good nor bad – they just are? One of the theories of Karma is that whatever you send out (energy, thoughts, ideas, etc) comes back - if you do good deeds and think g...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Thursday, May 19, 2011,
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Articles
How many times have you tried to accomplish something and it just wasn't working? You've tried several times to get it done and it isn't coming together.
Would it be better to quit, to let it go?
Many things don't happen on the first try. For example, Alicia Keys laughed when she was referred to as an overnight sensation because she had been in the music business struggling for over seven years.
Doors will shut. Life will deal you with hard blows. There is no doubt about it. This i... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Wednesday, May 18, 2011,
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Articles
Sometimes we say things that may hurt each other. It may not be intentional but we feel the need to say what's on our mind at the given moment. Is it necessary to tell someone what we think about them or what they're doing, especially when they haven't asked? Honesty is important but there comes a time when you saying something will wound not heal. I'm not talking about saying something to help someone learn, I'm talking about "yeah, remember when you did that? It was a really bad/stupid/w... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Tuesday, May 17, 2011,
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~One from the archives. Enjoy!~ I am really blessed to have moments where I get an idea and then the possibilities start rushing through. I wrote something recently that inspired me to start working on a coaching program to offer in 2011. Off I go, generating all kinds of ideas and tasks to create this program. While I'm in the frenzy of working, getting really excited at how the program is becoming a structure I can work in, thinking of documents to go with it, exercises, etc., all of a s... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Monday, May 16, 2011,
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Problem solving - a term that is thrown around a lot today. How can this be made to work differently or properly? Getting the task done and making the problem disappear (or even manageable) is an amazing skill. At a job or in a career, this is usually one of the measurements of performance - how did you solve that problem? Did you meet expectations or did you have a higher than usual skill set? For some people, this isn't quite as easy, especially in their personal lives. They may be a ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Saturday, May 14, 2011,
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Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. When we judge based on how someone looks, we take away their personality, their talents, strengths, pains, triumphs - everything inside that makes them who they are. Our eyes, our perception, only tell one part of the story. We make a decision based on our own experiences and that is where someone can be unfairly and inaccurately categorized. Green hair? They must be a freak.
Piercings and Tattoos? Total Degenerate.
Flannel shirt and jeans? Unintelli...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Friday, May 13, 2011,
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Back in the day, remember when a parent would yell "Slow Down! You're going to hurt yourself!" You might have thought "Oh, c'mon, I'm having fun! I don't want to slow down!"
As we get older, we still are going pretty fast. It may not be as fun as it used to be, though. We have work, appointments, projects, driving people here, helping people there. We are always on the go - there is not much that we can't do, sure, but do we have to do it all?
In the meantime, because we're at full speed... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Wednesday, May 11, 2011,
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~One from the archives. Enjoy!~ My niece just turned 5 years old last week. She is so cute. As friends and family arrived at her house for her birthday, she informed them that it was her birthday (somehow we didn't know, I guess). She also asked if her voice sounded "older", which we all agreed it did. I saw her opening her gifts, being very happy as she looked through her toys, clothes, jewelry - all the things a little one gets when we celebrate the life and birthday of a child. As we... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Tuesday, May 10, 2011,
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Karma can be a huge influence in our lives, especially for folks who are walking a spiritual path. We meet someone, end up in a crazy situation and then say "Oh, I'm working out my Karma with this person." And then that's it, we do nothing. How does that help out Karma? Doesn't that just create more Karma for us? It's easy to blame Karma for what we're experiencing. I know I've found myself into a not so pleasant "friendship" because I've not wanted to confront the person or situation. Now I...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Monday, May 9, 2011,
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I hear the phrase "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" when referring to people who don't want to change or learn something new. I have to wonder why not? I know when I pick up a book or take a class, I can feel my mind opening. I look at things differently. My collective knowledge is now expanded with this new information and I might change my thoughts on a thing or two.
Many people, though, think that they can't learn anything new. That they are too set in their ways, too "old" or just...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Saturday, May 7, 2011,
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~One from the archives. Enjoy!~
Here’s an interesting word to contemplate – thoughtfulness. What’s that mean, exactly? Maybe it means we can tear apart a subject with the best of them by looking at the topic deeply or asking a lot of questions. There have been times that, in my discussions with people, we've had mind blowing revelations. (You've had those experiences too, right?) Or maybe it means taking other people’s feelings or reactions into account before doing something. Ever...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Friday, May 6, 2011,
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There is more media around us that ever before. The TV, the radio, our blackberry, the internet, ITunes, youtube, craigslist, google - just to name a few. There are hundreds of websites out there for us to research things we want to know more about. Multiple news sources, books, newspapers - tons of information at our fingertips. Amazing, yes.
One of the things that found, though, with all these distractions around us, the voice inside us is barely at a whisper.
We are so used to be bomba... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Wednesday, May 4, 2011,
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We are amazing people who can handle an amazing amount of information. Our brains are built to sort, collect, categorize and, if necessary, discard information. There are times that we don't realize what we know. For example, I was having a discussion with someone about her knowledge of tarot cards. She told me that she didn't really know them well and she especially didn't know how to do multiple card readings. So while we were talking, I asked gave her two cards and asked her to read th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Wednesday, March 23, 2011,
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Words have so much power. I think because we throw words around every day through discussions, presentations, reading, listening to talk shows, watching tv and so many other ways, words are around us constantly. We forget sometimes they make an impact.
When we are having a discussion we have an option to hurt or heal. We can say the truth with compassion or venom. It is our choice.
I've recently had some intense conversations with several friends of mine. They count on me to...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Tuesday, March 8, 2011,
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Articles
Tonight, myself and several wonderful mediums and psychics went to dinner. While there, we got into a discussion with our waitress about mediumship and she had a concern that seems to be on the mind of a lot of people when discussing folks that have passed over.
She was afraid the spirit on the other side was mad at her.
While I don't want to give the specifics of the story, she was afraid that one particular person was going to be angry about a situation. She was hesitant to get a readi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Monday, March 7, 2011,
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There is a mask that we show to the world. We might quite possibly have several. There is our work mask, our family mask, our friends' masks - different sizes, shapes, construction, moldings. We create them to place over the softness and vulnerable sides of ourselves - our true face - to protect us.
The masks are hard, they are solid - conforming to our faces a little too well. We hide parts of us inside, behind the mask, smothering the softness. When we don't give these true part...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Thursday, March 3, 2011,
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I had dinner with my cousin the other night. It was so nice to catch up with her. We have a wonderful relationship where we can talk, laugh and cry about anything.
Somewhere in our conversation, we started talking about the difference between jobs and our work. Most people have a job. This is something that we need to have to have to pay the bills. It can be good or bad. It could even be something we could be very good at day-to-day but chances are it's not what we really want to be do... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Wednesday, March 2, 2011,
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Intent is one of those terms we hear a lot in the crime and punishment shows. "What was his/her intent?"
In the spiritual sense, intent can be setting an idea before you do something such as magick, a reiki treatment, a reading, whatever. This can actually be expanded to your day to day life, not just the spiritual realm.
For example, when you wake up in the morning, you can set an intention of having a great day. Or, if you're going into a meeting, you can set the intention...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Tuesday, March 1, 2011,
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As I was talking to a friend the other night, she seemed to be going through a hard time. She was saying all kinds of negative things about herself. I said to her "There are plenty of people in line ready to beat you up - why do you want to be at the front of the line?"
If you think about it, when we go throughout our day, we do all kinds of things. We get ready to leave the house, we design projects, we interact with all kinds of people, we do work, we drop the ball, we praise, we hu... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Tuesday, February 22, 2011,
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~One from the archives. Enjoy!~
I often wonder why things happen the way they do. Watching the news can induce depression in 30 minutes or less.
The world can be full of cruel, nasty people and events. We could sink down into the pit of despair very easily and walk around with the burden of the desperate energy of the world.
But then I think about hope. Hope for the world to change and the potential for humans to change.
A friend of mine just stepped into a new cha... Continue reading ...
Posted by Mary D'Alba on Friday, February 11, 2011,
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I was talking to my mom last night and she was relaying a conversation she was having with a friend. Mom is a "Senior" - I like to refer to her as a "Crone" - as she said something that really struck me.
Her friend said to her "Looking back on her life, I never expected to end up here." Mom said to her "I don't think anyone expects to end up where we do."
It made me pause. Do any of us ever expect to end up where we do in life? Somehow, our plans get derailed or changed, no ma... Continue reading ...
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