Give yourself permission

Let your love flow outward through the universe, To its height, its depth, its broad extent, A limitless love, without hatred or enmity. Then as you stand or walk, Sit or lie down, As long as you are awake, Strive for this with a one-pointed mind; Your life will bring heaven to earth. - Sutta Nipata ...

Meaningful words but many of us don't know how to let their love flow through the universe, we are too busy thinking or holding on to feelings that cause fear, anxiety, depression, guilt, fear, anger, jealousy, and so on. Some of us believe everything happens for a purpose so how do we learn from and heal these painful feelings.

Eleanor Roosevelt said: "No one can make you feel inferior without your permission." So why do we sometimes give others permission to make us feel bad? Maybe we think "they" are better than us. Or more powerful. Or smarter. Or more beautiful!

Today, I want you to take a look around your life and see if there is anyone from whom you want to reclaim your power to feel ... FANTASTIC!

Small steps, reclaim permission for yourself (just for today) to feel good. Give yourself permission to not feel like a victim of others' choices. Give yourself permission to operate from a place of personal power, taking loving care of yourself . Take time to examine the gifts you have been given. Give yourself permission to spend your time in what brings you joy (just for today). Over time you will begin to realize that you know how to fill yourself with love

The more you learn to love yourself and share your love with others, the more your love will flow through the universe. Develop your spiritually because without a spiritual connection you will not be able to give yourself the permissions that you need to feel GREAT.

 I have no structured spiritual belief system, but I imagine a younger wise part of myself . I believe that truth and loving action were what I had as a young child and I strive everyday to reconnect with that innocence and joy. Some people believe that wisdom comes from the older wiser self, I don't, I believe that the older wiser self has found a way to connect to the innocence of the child. As you give yourself permission to not feel bad, you will gradually grow out of the false beliefs that cause you pain.

Boomers stay in touch with their younger selves, seniors stay in touch with their older wiser self. I like the idea of staying young, not growing old, I'm a Boomer not a Senior

Trust

We have no reason to mistrust our world, for it is not against us. Has it terrors, they are our terrors; has it abysses, those abysses belong to us; are dangers at hand, we must try to love them. And if only we arrange our life according to that principle which counsels us that we must always hold to the difficult, then that which now still seems to us the most alien will become what we most trust and find most faithful. How should we be able to forget those ancient myths that are at the beginning of all peoples, the myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us. -- Rainer Maria Rilke

Ideas for an interesting holiday

I always thought storytelling was a lost art, however it is alive and well and growing, just listen to many of our songwriters and popular songs. We all love a great story, and a great way to sample the incredible diversity of stories and storytellers in the world is to visit one of the growing numbers of story-telling festivals. At these two- or three-day gatherings, hundreds of people-some professionals, some not-take the stage to tell tales. Some of the storytellers at these events are a bit shellacked-in a twangy corn pone kind of way. But you're almost certain to stumble upon some amazing stories and some fascinating people record them. Here are seven of the best festivals.

• Bay Area Storytelling Festival-This weekend of outdoor s telling is one of the best festivals in the western United States
o Where: El Sobrante, California When: May

• Yukon International Storytelling Festival-Now in its seventh decade, this festival features storytellers from the "circumpolar world"-the Yukon, Greenland, Iceland-telling stories u the endless sun of early spring. Some of the participants tell dying stories in dying native languages in an effort to keep those languages alive.
o Where: Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada When: June

• Digital Storytelling Festival-A wonderful gathering with an array of speakers and entertainers using computers and other digital tools to craft compelling tales. (See "Experiment with Digital Storytelling".) The festival was launched by digital storytelling pioneer Dana Atchley, who died well before his time
Where: Sedona, Arizona When: June

• Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival-Held on Ireland's southernmost island, this festival attracts an eclectic mix of storytellers from all over the world. Most of the stories are in English, but some are in Irish.
o Where: Cape Clear Island, Republic of Ireland o When: September

• Sharing the Fire, New England Storytelling Conference-One of the oldest regional festivals in the United States, this event draws the best storytellers in the eastern United States.
o Where: Cambridge, Massachusetts  o When: September

• National Storytelling Festival-The granddaddy of American s telling festivals attended each year by more than ten thousand people.
o Where: Jonesborough, Tennessee When: October

Prayer for Grandpa

Dear God, please send clothes for all those poor ladies on

grandpa's computer. Amen.