Reflections

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  1. Ose
    Ose
    2 days ago

    To look at Life and see it is all inclusive. Welcome! ✨

    1. Mary
      Mary
      2 days ago

      Yes, Ose!
      I belong, we all belong.
      Thank you. ☀️

  2. Antoinette88615
    Antoinette
    2 days ago

    Everything is my fault- to see things this way is my fault , to see things that way is my fault – the faults of others is my fault , the well done deeds of others is my fault –
    This is something that took me years to understand but the meditation has shed light 💡 upon the false self who is completely overlapping Truth. I am the Wong who is wrong and I am the one who must “die”.
    I can’t dress up like a rose and pretend to not be full of thorns inside and outside! Pretending does make me truth. Pretending to accept and love my neighbour like myself is never going to happen. Why can’t we love like Jesus told us ? Because falseness is not truth no matter how you dress it up and make it smell.
    So this helps me see that until I’m Truth I’m false. It may sound harsh to some but now I’m grateful to this truth because I have a chance to change and throw away my garbage. This is super good news! Now I know my views, ideologies, philosophies, and all the things that I think I know are actually things that I can let go of and become truth! This helps me become free from my burden- which is no other than thinking I am this that or the other thing ! Yippee! Letting go is such a blessing 🙌!

  3. Robin Ann
    Robin Ann
    2 days ago

    Knowing and hoping that there will be light at the end of the tunnel of life’s challenges.

    I just returned from a 5 day sailing cruise to Cuttyhunk, MA. I sailed there in my late 20’s and now at age 65.
    Fortunately, we had the most awesome weather and the most gorgeous sunset on Cuttyhunk Island, It is part of the elizabeth islands near martha’s vineyard, so quaint. No cars just golf carts and not a lot there but just enough ✨ 🌞

    1. Mary
      Mary
      2 days ago

      What a lovely trip, Robin Ann.

  4. sparrow51014
    sparrow
    2 days ago

    Thorns are to roses
    what pits are to peaches,
    night is to day,
    rain is to sunshine,
    male is to female . . .
    it’s a balancing act,
    as is all of Nature in the Universe.
    Balance keeps us sane,
    and creates order out of chaos.

    All life
    has it’s protections . . .
    skunks have their ungodly odor,
    snakes, their venom,
    bees, their stingers,
    cats, their claws . . .
    wolves have their fangs,
    cacti, their spines,
    birds, their wings . . .
    and roses have their thorns.

    I see both the rose and her thorns . . .
    each has it’s unique purpose,
    and I can appreciate and have reverence for both,
    as there is a reason for everything,
    even if it is is ‘just because.’ ♥

  5. Mary
    Mary
    2 days ago

    Remembering the things that help me, helps.
    When I remember to be grateful and to be in the moment, that helps.
    But within a few moments I can become enmeshed in whatever again.
    I have to keep remembering to go back to my breath, to stop and take a stretch,
    to get some fresh air, or whatever helps me come back to the moment.
    Being in the habit of being grateful each day and having daily practices scheduled each day
    helps me to remember to be in the moment and to be grateful on days that I find myself caught in the thorns.

  6. Linda72766
    Linda
    2 days ago

    The little moments of humor with my husband.

    1. L
      Loc Tran
      2 days ago

      Linda, this reminds me of the playful moments with Ngoc.

    2. Mary
      Mary
      2 days ago

      Yes, Linda, humor!
      There’s nothing like a good laugh!
      🥰

  7. ‪Tzori Brickner‬‏
    2 days ago

    The contradictory word – “however”. Yesterday I’ve been in a meeting in which a person with troubles reading was reading something out loud. It was not easy to the ears perhasp, but very much easy to the heart. “His reading skills make it hard on listening, but he’s doing service with passion and commitment”. Afterwards came a very troublesome speech by a different person. “I disagree with everything here,” thought i to myself, “but they assist many to find peace, this way or another”. It is easier thusly to find peace and a rose, complete with thorns.

    1. Mary
      Mary
      2 days ago

      Yes. Beautiful thoughtful response, Tzori.

  8. Charlie T
    Charlie T
    2 days ago

    My intention to see things as they are and not how I wish or want them to be, allows me to see things more clearly and fully.
    “ I can see clear now the rain has gone, I can see all obstacles in my way, gone are the dark clouds that had me down, it’s gonna be a bright, bright, bright sunshiny day”

    1. sparrow51014
      sparrow
      2 days ago

      I love that song,
      dear Charlie,
      and the truth lying within it . . .
      thanks for the memories. ♥

    2. Mary
      Mary
      2 days ago

      I will be humming this song all day! ☀️☀️☀️🥰

  9. D
    Drea
    2 days ago

    Remembering that everything has its opposite. Grief has joy, anger has elation, etc. When I experience the pain of the thorn I know there is also a rose, even if I don’t see it yet.

    1. Christina Rossi75270
      Christina
      2 days ago

      What a good point Drea.

  10. Carol Ann Conner
    Carol Ann Conner
    2 days ago

    My practice of gratefulness helps me see the roses along with the thorns. It reminds me of the wisdom of the four seasons. I share a Morning Med I wrote in 2022

    Morning Meds April 5 2022 Wake Up and Smell the Roses

    Saturday’s question on gratefulness.org was: In what ways do my senses invite gratefulness for the world around me?
    I immediately thought of a Bible verse: Matthew 13:15.

    “For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
    Their ears are hard of hearing,
    And their eyes they have closed,
    Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
    Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
    So that I should heal them.”
    The sun is shining in NE Kansas this morning. It’s heat and light a reminder that Spring will arrive soon. Several chances of April showers are predicted in the coming week’s weather forecast. Showers, like tears, can be cleansing and nourishing. As my Mom use to say, quoting a popular song, “Though April showers may come your way. They bring the flowers that bloom in May.” The cycle of the seasons is my teacher and reminds me to always be willing to feel and heal. Sometimes it’s hard to be grateful for the world around me but Nature teaches me the importance of nurturing everyone and everything that crosses my path. Today’s quote on Gratefulness.org says it well:
    “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Leo Buscaglia

    1. sparrow51014
      sparrow
      2 days ago

      I have to say,
      dear Carol Ann,
      that I went trolling today,
      and found your absolutely wonderful meditation
      on the little birdie who told you so . . . ♥

      1. Carol Ann Conner
        Carol Ann Conner
        1 day ago

        Sparrow, I had no idea that it was still available!

        1. sparrow51014
          sparrow
          1 day ago
  11. L
    Loc Tran
    2 days ago

    Seeing the roses along with the thorns helps me work harder and step out of my comfort zone for more opportunities to go out to eat with Ngoc. The thorns are challenges and discomfort. Roses are money and pleasure.

  12. Ngoc Nguyen
    Ngoc Nguyen
    2 days ago

    Thank you so much for today’s question, which gave me the opportunity to read your wise responses. I learned that thorns protect plants from animals and insects. The idea of accepting the beauty of roses but rejecting their thorns reminds me of myself as a teenager. Back then, I saw myself as the thorn. When my family lived in Vietnam, where society’s perception of people with disabilities was quite low, whenever my non-disabled sister and I went out, I felt like only the thorn while she was the rose. Now, as I live in the U.S., where I am at least not considered “weird” for being disabled, I am grateful to be a thorn, or maybe even a different kind of rose. May you all have a wonderful day filled with joy and love.

    1. ch46092
      ch
      2 days ago

      🌹

    2. Carol Ann Conner
      Carol Ann Conner
      2 days ago

      Thanks for sharing…your words touch me deeply.

    3. L
      Loc Tran
      2 days ago

      My Ngoc, if people with physical disabilities struggle over there, let alone those with autism or mental illness.

  13. Patti
    sunnypatti
    2 days ago

    I always see the roses first but know that the thorns are there. They exist together, just like everything else in life.
    “Stars can’t shine without darkness.” – D.H. Sidebottom

  14. Michele
    Michele
    2 days ago

    Thorns are part of roses so both are seen together. Thorns protect the rose and have their purpose.

    I am back home now. Thank you everyone for your prayers for safe travels, I appreciate that 🙂

    https://nationaltoday.com/national-wildlife-day/

    1. Joseph
      Joseph McCann
      2 days ago

      May the four winds blow you home . . . . Glad you are home safe.

      1. Michele
        Michele
        1 day ago

        Gracias Joseph

    2. sparrow51014
      sparrow
      2 days ago

      I’m happy to hear,
      dear Michele,
      that you are well
      and safely back home.

      Yes,
      the thorns do serve a purpose. ♥

      1. Michele
        Michele
        1 day ago

        Thank you Sparrow.

  15. Laura
    Laura
    2 days ago

    Abundance and beauty always surround me. All I need to do is pause, look around and notice. It may not remove any thorns, but it does take away some of the sting.

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