The Spirit Knows Best

A Candidate For Fun

2008-08-20T12:30:00.004-04:00

A Candidate For Fun

Love Me Now While I Am Living

2008-08-15T15:37:00.016-04:00

Love Me Now While I Am Living

~ Original Author Unknown
modified by Robin Lee Sardini

If you're ever going to love me,
Love me now, while I can know
The sweet and tender feelings,
From which true affections flow.
Love me now, while I am living.
Do not wait until I'm gone,
And then chisel it in marble,
Tender words on ice-cold stone.
If you have loving thoughts of me,
Please, tell me now, I pray.
No, don't wait another minute,
We may only have today.....
If you wait until I'm sleeping,
Never wakening here again,
There'll be walls of earth between us,
And I would not hear you then.
So, if you ever loved me,
Even just a little bit,
Let me know while I am living,
So I'll feel and treasure it.

Life Lessons: When The Fog Lifts

2008-08-15T13:08:00.019-04:00

Life Lessons: When The Fog Lifts

When people disappear from the forefront of life for an extended period of time there is usually a reason. What goes on behind the scenes at times like these is not apparent and may never become "public" knowledge. However, there does come a day when re-emergence is inevitable and a welcome relief.

Today is that day, for me.

Pain is a teacher, albeit, abrupt and seemingly brutal at times, especially when one comes to class somewhat unprepared. Although familiar with emotional and physical pain on an intimate level, the soul~cutting, faith~searing, heart~rending pain I suddenly faced was neither patient nor polite. It barged upon the scene and shoved its way past my shock and disbelief, into the deepest recesses of my spiritual experience thus far.

I was forced to go where I had never been before and ask questions that I had never had to ask.

There was more at stake than I had realized. Other people were more directly involved in this than I was. This wasn't about me.

My first instinct was to be strong and supportive. I found myself morphing into a caregiver once again. I hadn't been in that role for many years, but it just "kicked in" at the most critical moment. Like riding a bike, as they say.

My reaction was delayed for a few days. Somewhere inside I was processing the feeling of violation triggered by this uninvited "guest". There was no way I could describe it then.

Where did I go? Why did I find it so hard to reach out? Why couldn't I put it into words? I could always rely on writing when it was difficult to speak.

But the words...had abandoned me in silence. Mind~fog, like a heavy shroud, draped itself over my thoughts. It lingered for days. I retreated to deal with what was taking place.

As new information became available, there was only one thing on my mind: to make as sure as I could that hopelessness would not rob my loved ones of their faith and belief that God could take this situation and turn it around for good.

I prayed for my loved ones, and felt the continuing prayers of others. The fog began to lift, ever so slowly.

I did a lot of reading, some research, and finally was able to reach out.

The lessons are getting easier as the days go by. I have come to realize that some things are never fully learned, that there is a continual learning process in this life.

It is my hope that by sharing some of these things with you, that you will find a measure of comfort in being better prepared than I was when facing down fear, and painful life events.

Important Life Lessons:

1. Sometimes there are no words, and that's ok.

2. It's ok to ask questions, even the tough ones.

3. It's important to be yourself. Just be who you are.

4. Take it easy on yourself in difficult times.

5. Ask for help. Reach out to friends and loved ones.
Rely on your support network.

6. Establish or re~establish your spiritual connections.
Lay down your defenses and talk to God and your
spiritual counselors openly and honestly.

7. If there is something to be said, say it.
There may not be another opportunity.

8. If there is "unfinished business", something left undone,
do it as soon as you are up to it.

9. Healing comes in different forms, at different times,
and on many different levels.

10. We never walk this road alone.

life lessons
love
pain
faith
hope
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Pay It Forward

2008-05-30T15:27:00.005-04:00

Pay It Forward

pay it forward
second chance
generosity
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Manifestation: A True Story

2008-05-16T07:06:00.015-04:00

Manifestation: A True Story

Times were tough for her. There wasn't enough money to pay the bills. The electric bill was due in two days. She didn't have much, certainly not enough in the checking account to cover it. She had no savings to speak of....but she had Faith that God would provide. Somehow. Some way.

She remembered her change box, a 4"x10"x4" cedar box, which held her loose change. She slowly opened the dusty lid hoping to find something other than coins. Instead she found the box half full, mostly pennies. Oh, there were a few nickels and dimes and quarters in her little treasure chest, but not enough to make even one roll of coins. She held her breath and half~whispered a short prayer...

Hesitantly, she swept her hand through the change in the little cedar box hoping to reveal more shiny silver. She carefully picked through the coins, looking for quarters, the largest and easiest coins to see. There were a few...

"If only I could find enough quarters to make a roll, $10," she thought to herself.

She swept her fingers through the coins once again. And again. There were a couple more quarters. She took them out and placed them on the small pile of others.

Surely, if she'd missed these, there had to be more.

Once again she sifted the coins through her fingers, scooping up handful after handful, meticulously searching each one.

There were no more quarters.

She paused, closed the lid, and bowed her head. As her hope waned, she teetered on the brink of giving up, but then something happened. A glimmer of hope quickened within her. She remembered that God had always provided before....and certainly this time would be no different. The sacred words that she'd learned as a child came flooding back into her mind..."Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...if you have faith as a mustard seed...nothing will be impossible for you!"

Her heart swelled with expectation. She quickly counted the quarters in the pile. $2.75. Ok.

Her heart pounded with excitement as she opened the little cedar box once more. She reached inside and swept her fingers through the coins that were left.

And there they were...more quarters...back to back...in twos and threes! She hurriedly picked them out and began placing them in stacks of four.

She swept through coins again as giggles of gratitude bubbled out and tears of joy filled her eyes. Each time she placed her hand in the box she discovered more quarters! They manifested right before her eyes, continuing to appear in groups of two and three.

She repeated the process several more times, placing the coins in stacks of four.
She was overwhelmed. She knew she was witnessing a miracle!

At last there were no more quarters to be found. She counted her stacks. There were twenty eight in all. Not twenty eight quarters. No. Twenty eight stacks of four quarters each! That's one hundred twelve quarters!

She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God had provided this miracle of manifestation. There is no possible way she could have missed 101 more quarters in that small cedar box!

She now had enough money to pay the electric bill with a few dollars left over.

In the swirling mix of raw emotion, she closed her eyes and whispered, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

miracle
manifestation
faith
prayer
Law of Attraction
The Spirit Knows Best
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Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T13:01:00.008-04:00

If today is a day of celebration with the mom in your life, may it be a very special day for you and your loved ones.

If today is a day of remembrance and sadness, may you find comfort in knowing how very much you are loved.

Peace.

Joe Vitale's AAA Plan to Wealth

2008-05-08T13:20:00.005-04:00

Joe Vitale's AAA Plan to Wealth

This is Joe's gift to us...
He's a funny and brilliant. A truly generous and Loving man!

Giving

2008-04-30T10:56:00.006-04:00

What I Can Give

I give you my absolute friendship, a sure hand to hold,
A strong shoulder to cry on, lean on and cling to.
Uplifting words of comfort and hope.
A listening ear and arms to gently embrace you
In good times and bad.
I give you all the time you need
To tell me what's on your heart.
A loving touch, a heartfelt smile.
A true reflection of the beauty of you.
An answer in your seeking.
An assurance in your doubt.
A stronghold in your stumbling.
A beacon in the dark night of your soul.
I am here for you.
Whenever you need me.
Because I am your friend.

Friends In New Places

2008-04-26T20:42:00.017-04:00

Friends In New Places

I can't pass up the opportunity to share something special with my friends, not if I really am a friend. This isn't my usual post, so...
Take what you like and leave the rest....

I've been very blessed recently in discovering some very cool people. Some of them have requested my friendship onMySpace while others I've met on a new social networking site called Zenzuu.
One guy who calls himself "Social Network" (real name: Jim) actually lived in the small town here in PA that I lived in two years ago! It IS a small world!

Jim shared something with me that I thought would benefit any and all of you. How many of you have used PayPal? Well, then you know what a payment processor is and how it works, right? Ok, good. Pretty straightforward.

Here's the deal:
There's a way to get some quick FREE CASH into the hands of your teammates, your friends, your loved ones or strangers off the street ;-) that they could use for advertising, business~building, gift~giving or whatever...It's about the easiest, quickest $25 I've made. But it EXPIRES 5/15/08.

It's free to sign up and you get $25 in your account immediately!

It's a new payment processor that will compete with PayPal ...it has the former CEO of Mastercard International, a former U.S. Treasury Secretary and a smorgasbord of other similar corporate names behind it.

But the real point is, it's a FAST EASY $25-$500. You won't get rich, but besides the FREE $25, they give you $10 for the first 50 people you tell who do the same (i.e. $500 max).

If you do it and get your $25+, please leave me a comment here or on my profile page and let me know all went well.

Go see!

Are you debating? My $25 is already in my account. Why wait? Get yours now and tell your friends so they can be blessed, too!

Be Blessed! (I am ;-)

Undercover Work Has Its Privileges

2008-04-08T14:43:00.013-04:00

Undercover Work Has Its Privileges

Imagine for a moment hiding out in a 3'x 5' cardboard box on the cold, hard concrete floor under a conveyor in a dark, isolated loading dock...
Imagine staying there in complete silence for hours (and what seemed like days) waiting for the elusive credit card thief to make his appearance...
Sound like your idea of fun?
No, not mine either, but that's just one of the things I did in my undercover days.
What were the privileges, you ask.
Hmmm...Now let me think.

1. Not getting caught. ;-)
2. Not getting loaded onto the conveyor and sent who knows where.
3. Not getting *shipped out in a big semi to an unknown destination.

I don't know, that* may have been fun, but I'm really glad I didn't have to find out.

I forgot to mention there are no restrooms in a 3' x 5' cardboard box, let alone the trailer of semi. The accommodations are less than desirable.
But I learned a valuable lesson: never hide in a cardboard box trying to catch a thief when you've had 2 1/2 glasses of iced tea for lunch and it hasn't made its way to its unknown destination yet.

Enjoy your day!

The Power Of Love

2008-02-13T23:01:00.014-05:00

The Power Of Love

There is nothing else like it. You know what I'm talking about.

The Power of Love.

It leaves you speechless. It rocks your world.

You know I'm talking to you. That's right.

The Power
of
Love.

"She loved you beyond any love she had ever known or would know..."

Happy Valentine's Day!

love
Happy Valentine's Day
relationships
The Power of Love
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A Winning Blog

2008-02-03T06:15:00.000-05:00

A Winning Blog

Santa's Blog of The Day

Yesterday, someone, a very special "secret pal", nominated The Spirit Knows Best for Santa's Blog of The Day.

Well, I'm happy to report there was a tie. I am honored today (on Super Bowl Sunday, yet) to be a co~winner with Julie of Julie's Blog ! Well~done, Julie! You did a tremendous service to the blogging community with your participation in Mel's Big Bang.

Thank you,Santa, for creating this award and making this whole process possible!

The jolly old elf in the red suit deserves a big hug!

I especially want to thank all of you who voted. I am touched by your kindness!

Be sure to go to Santa's blog right now and nominate your favorite blog for Santa's Blog of The Day! Have fun!

Santa's Blog of The Day
Santa
link love
The Spirit Knows Best
Julie's Blog
A winning blog
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Home: An Urgent Call to Action

2008-01-31T14:55:00.000-05:00

Home: An Urgent call to Action

This post is reprint from Ms. Maggie Moo Talks 2 U

Please visit her blog to see the pictures about this situation and, if so moved, to contribute to Jamie's Legal Fund. A picture speaks a thousand words and Maggie tells the rest of the story...

(Note: You may also want to read the post written by Jamie's mother, Linda, at Blue Ribbon Bloggers)

***AFTER READING THIS POST, PLEASE CONSIDER COPYING IT AND POSTING IT ON YOUR BLOG-THE MORE EXPOSURE THIS GETS, THE BETTER***

She tries to sleep, but she can’t-the noises coming from the only bedroom in the trailer are too loud, too embarrassing. Rolling over she faces the wall and hopes that her father will finish what he’s doing and that her step-mother won’t make any more noise.

She’s living every teenage girl’s nightmare.

It’s bad enough that she was torn from her friends in Kentucky-but living here, in this cramped, dirty trailer with no privacy and no indoor shower is the icing on the cake. Fitting in at school was out of the question-her father made sure of that by not allowing her to socialize outside of class & eventually, she woke up one morning knowing that she would no longer walk the halls of freedom, but instead would be taught in the very trailer she slept in.

It’s probably for the best, she thinks-if anyone ever found out that they make me wear hand me down underwear I’d be the laughing stock of the state anyway…

She wishes she could move home-to her real home-with her mother and sister in Connecticut. There she would be nurtured and cared for, and allowed to be a teenager…allowed to have opinions and ideas and to cut her hair the way she likes it.

But she knows she can’t. He’s making sure of that too…

Jamie wants to come home.

Many of you know Linda fromAre We There Yet?. And perhaps you know that she has two daughters, Amanda and Jamie. Amanda lives with Linda here in CT and Jamie lives in Florida with her father and his wife.

Life for Jamie is not going well.

Jamie is living a lonely life in a cramped, dirty trailer with guardians who won’t allow her to be an individual. She is not allowed to have friends. She can’t choose her own music or movies and she can’t even cut her hair. She has to shower in a common area of a camp ground because her “home” doesn’t have a shower.

She is homeschooled by her stepmother-a woman who is not qualified to take on such a task and Jamie is, for sure, behind other kids her age academically. No doubt, she will also fall behind socially as well.

Though Jamie has expressed to her father that she wants to move to Connecticut to live with her mother, he will not allow it. His reasoning is that Linda is not a good mother.

His reasoning is bull****.

When Jamie visits, it is easy to see that she flourishes. Her smile is bright and it’s clear that being allowed to smile and laugh and to be a little quirky is the reason. Anyone who reads Linda’s blog knows that she is a caring and attentive mother who strives to give both of her children what they deserve.

The man that Jamie and Amanda call Dad is not a good man. He remarried and is completely wrapped up in his new marriage and does not care what happens to Jamie. If he believes that Linda is a bad mother because Amanda has blue hair, then I wonder what he would say if she were to cast her daughter out of her life simply because she was a little different…

Of course, Linda would never do that-but he did. Amanda lived with her father at one time, and was sent back to live with Linda because she didn’t “fit in” to the family he wanted to create. He no longer speaks to her. Now tell me, how can a man who disowns one daughter ever be a better parent than one who loves unconditionally?

He can’t.

And that’s why Jamie needs to come home.

Being a single mother who makes “too much money” (read: she makes over the poverty level) Linda does not qualify for financial assistance for legal aid, and therefore is having trouble getting a lawyer’s attention. In CT, courts consider a custody award as subject to change until the child involved grows up, and in most states proof of a "change in circumstances" may overturn an earlier award. This flexibility is intended to allow for the correction of poor or outdated decisions.

Jamie has vocalized to both parents that she wishes to move. Her dad has vocalized that it will never happen. Linda made a promise to Jamie that she would do anything in her power to get here home.

But she needs our help.

On my sidebar I have posted a magic button-this magic button allows you to donate to the Get Jamie Home Legal Fund. The faster you click, the faster you will help change the life of one little girl who very much needs a new life.

Please help. We’ve seen in the past that every penny helps…even if you can only donate $5, please consider doing it.

Jamie needs to come home.

Ms. Maggie Moo Talks 2 U
Blue Ribbon Bloggers
plea for help
home
Jamie's Legal Fund
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The Power of Intention

2008-01-29T12:26:00.000-05:00

The Power of Intention

I came across this video the other day at The Ordinary Mystic.

It speaks to the recent studies about the Power of Intention. Loving intention is proven to be a powerful, life~affirming force. It can take the form of loving thought, directed desire, focused prayer, and purposeful action.

It is important to note that we can direct this loving intention to others. There are so many people who can benefit from our intervention and intercession. To intercede, according to Webster, means "1. to plead or make a request on behalf of another 2. to intervene for the purpose of producing agreement; mediate". When we align ourselves with the Highest Good on behalf of someone else, when we agree, some remarkable things can happen.

We are wholly connected to each other and when we acknowledge this connectedness and align ourselves in Love, we become one with Divine Love. Divine Love is unconditional, embraces us at our point of need, and has the Power to restore us to our full potential and rightful place in this Abundant Universe. When we open our hearts and our hands in Love, it comes back to us in full measure. There is more than enough Love to go around. And good things follow in its footsteps.

Where there was lack, there is now Provision.
Where there was despair, there is now Hope.
Where there was brokenness, there is now Healing.
Where there was bad news, there is now a Good Report.
Where there was loneliness, there is now Love.
Where there was strife, there is now Peace.

It may not happen in an instant, but when we begin shift our focus and activate the Power of Loving Intention, we plant the seeds for miracles to grow. When seeds are planted we expect them to grow, don't we?

In closing, I'd like to leave you with these words from the Good Book:
"Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and anything praiseworthy ~ think on these things."

If we change our thoughts, just imagine the possibilities...

Intention
The Power of Intention
Law of Attraction
Think On These Things
Love
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The Band Meme

2008-01-23T12:57:00.001-05:00

The Band Meme

"The hurrier I go, the behinder I get"...but still moving right along...

Mimi, Queen of Memes tagged me for The Band Meme.

"Yikes," I thought. Me? What do I know about memes and bands and photo editing?

Well, after some trepidation I decided to tiptoe over to Flickr and ask the photographer,Santa Rubita if I might use her photo, "Martiina" in a Band Meme. She so graciously and enthusiastically agreed. Yes!

My next hurdle was getting that Paint program to do what I wanted it to do...
That is a whole other story.
Here is how my album cover turned out:

Will Be Better Tomorrow by The Ansonia
Originally uploaded by QuietProsperity

Here's whatMimi had to say:

"The Band Meme

Here's how it goes. You are about to have your own band's CD cover. Follow these directions to the letter...It's fun and requires no thought at all. Go to......

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

The first article title on the page is the name of your band.

2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3

The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/

The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use your graphics program of choice to throw them together, and post the result as a comment in this post. Also, pass it along in your own journal because it’s more amusing that way."

Here's Mimi's post with many of the beautiful album covers and here is the scroll box with links to all the album covers to date:

The Band Meme

Band memers: Bud - The Band Meme WTIT Style, Linda at Are We There Yet?, Sandee at Comedy Plus , Mimi Lenox at Mimi Writes, Bands That Rock - EDog's Everything Page Bond's Big Leather Couch , Crazy Working Mom , Coffee2Go , Hammer , Julie's Jewels and Junque , Lyn's Last Minute Life , Speedcat Hollydale Page, Knit For Joy , Gill's Jottings, Lee at Tarheel Ramblings, Jamie from Duward Discusssions, Maggie Moo Talks2U, My View Of It, Colin at Life, Work of the Poet, Mauigirl's Meanderings, Lori from Hahn At Home, The Painted Veil, Dixie's Heart and Soul, Anndi's Luggage, Monday Morning Power, Peanut, Peanut Butter Jelly2! , Asara's Mental Meanderings, Mr. Lance Solitary Views, Diary of a Heretic, Kids, Cats, & Books - Nola Dawn, Observations From the Back 40, Late Bloomer Boomer , My Dogs Keep Me Sane - Misty Dawn, Random Autumness, Foxxfyrre's Honk 'n Hollr, Screw Perfection, Olga, The Traveling Bra, Trav's Thoughts, Andrena Getting a Grip on Grace, Everything and Nothing Blog-Blond, Lowdown From Lois Writer Cramps, Friday Night Fish Fry Butchy and Snickers, The Ice Box, Robin at The Spirit Knows Best

Have fun!

Mimi Queen of Memes
The Band Meme
The Spirit Knows Best
Will Be Better Tomorrow
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