A REAL BUCKET LIST

Now that I’m old and gray (but not quite in my rocker yet!) I look back on my life and think about things I wish I knew earlier. It would have made my life so much easier if I knew then what I know now. Here’s my list of things I wish I could turn back the hands of time to tell my younger self. Maybe it’s not too late for you.

1. You’re stronger than you think you are.
2. Mistakes teach you important lessons.  Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal.
3. 
   

   Cycling the Peruvian desert
   There is nothing to hold you back except you.
4. You can press forward long after you can’t.  It’s a matter of wanting it bad enough.
5. No matter how much progress you make there will always be the people who insist that whatever you’re trying to do is impossible.
6. You are limited only by your own imagination. Let it fly.
7. Perception is reality.
8. Your instincts can be trusted.
9. There is only one question to ask yourself: “What would you do if you were not afraid?”
10. It’s often hard to tell just how close you are to success.
11. The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.
12. Never let success get to your head, and never let failure get to your heart.
13. You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life.
14. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.
15. Do what you love, not what you think you’re supposed to do.
16. Laughter is the best medicine for stress.  Laugh at yourself often.
17. If you want to feel rich, just count all the great things you have that money can’t buy.
18. Forgiving yourself is far more important than getting others to forgive you.
19. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, you’ll often find that you’re right.
20. Be nice to yourself.
21. For the most part, it doesn’t matter what people think.  Follow your own truth.
22. No education is wasted. Drink in as many new experiences as you can.
23. Making one person smile can change the world.
24. Don’t forget to enjoy your journey!
25. You never know how strong you really are until being strong is the only choice you have.
26. Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
27. You cannot change what you refuse to confront.
28. Crying doesn’t indicate that you’re weak.  It doesn’t always solve your problems either.
29. No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.
30. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
31. You can learn great things from your mistakes when you aren’t busy denying them.
32. Give up worrying about what others think of you.
33. When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.
34. 
    

    I learned many life lessons on our 3-year family bike trip from Alaska to Argentina
    You have to accept that some things will never be yours, and learn to appreciate the things that are only yours.
35. As Henry Ford put it, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”
36. Don’t be afraid to move out of your comfort zone.  Some of your best life experiences and opportunities will transpire only after you dare to lose.
37. Giving up doesn’t always mean you’re weak, sometimes it means you are strong enough and smart enough to let go.
38. You’ll rarely be 100% sure it will work.  But you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work.
39. Don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future for too long.  Right now is life.  Live it.
40. No matter how cautiously you choose your words, someone will always twist them around and misinterpret what you say.  Just say what you need to say.
41. Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of good luck.
42. If you are passionate about something, pursue it, no matter what anyone else thinks.  That’s how dreams are achieved.
43. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.
44. What lies before us and behind us are tiny matters when compared to what lies within us.
45. Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.
46. It’s not about getting a chance, it’s about taking a chance.
47. If it were easy everyone would do it.
48. Be vulnerable.
49. A problem is a chance for you to learn.
50. Regardless of the situation, life goes on.

Native American Code Of Ethics

Native American Code Of Ethics

Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often.
The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.
~
Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path.
Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem
from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.
~
Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others
to make your path for you. It is your road, and
yours alone. Others may walk it with you,
but no one can walk it for you.
~
Treat the guests in your home with much consideration.
Serve them the best food, give them the best
bed and treat them with respect and honor.
~
Do not take what is not yours whether from
a person, a community,the wilderness or from a
culture. It was not earned nor given. It is not yours.
~
Respect all things that are placed upon
this earth – whether it be people or plant.
~
Honor other people’s thoughts, wishes and words.
Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them.
Allow each person the right to personal expression.
~
Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative
energy that you put out into the universe
will multiply when it returns to you.
~
All persons make mistakes.
And all mistakes can be forgiven.
~
Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind,
body and spirit. Practice optimism.
~
Nature is not FOR us, it is a PART of us.
They are part of your worldly family.
~
Children are the seeds of our future. Plant
love in their hearts and water them with
wisdom and life’s lessons. When they
are grown, give them space to grow.
~
Avoid hurting the hearts of others.
The poison of your pain will return to you.
~
Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the
test of one’s will within this universe.
~
Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual
self, Emotional self, and Physical self – all need
to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out
the body to strengthen the mind. Grow
rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.
~
Make conscious decisions as to who
you will be and how you will react. Be
responsible for your own actions.
~
Respect the privacy and personal space of
others. Do not touch the personal property of
others – especially sacred and religious
objects. This is forbidden.
~
Be true to yourself first. You cannot
nurture and help others if you cannot
nurture and help yourself first.
~
Respect others religious beliefs.
Do not force your belief on others.
~
Share your good fortune with others.
Participate in charity.

_______

POLITICS IS NOT FUNNY - BUT THIS IS!

A little humor never hurt! If you are tired of politics and need a break. Watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/user/BadLipReading?feature=watch

Are you missing spiritual oneness and discussions that connect you with God? If you missed a Sunday morning service at Chrysalis you are.

We have a small group and we know that every member counts. Everyone is welcome to hear truth, but few are motivated enough to recognize the magnetic quality of group worship.Your participation and contributions are deeply appreciated. Please make renewed effort to worship in spirit with the congregation at Chrysalis. Your presence will bring blessings for all.

Where Do You Find Connections to Spirit?

Here a an article from the Pleasant Valley Church in CA written by Rev. Lynn Chaplin-Noe.

Ministerial Musings
October, 2012
THE POWER OF NATURE'S INTENTION



Rev. Lynn Chaplin-Noe

It’s Autumn! And every Autumn, Winter, Spring, something within my husband and myself “drives” us to Yosemite! It’s where we truly worship. Wikpedia says, "Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship to give at its simplest worth to something." So that’s what we do in Yosemite. We devote our total consciousness toward our oneness with everything we see, touch, sense or feel. It heightens our awareness that we share DNA with all of it which includes the other reverent worshipers in human form. We experience our deepest appreciation for the Divine.
Here’s the thing about the power of Nature’s Intention. You and I and everything around us was intended into form by an intelligence that is not aware of itself but has a powerful intention within to create. That’s the creator, God. Therefore it’s in the creation’s nature to create too. That’s as simple as letting go and trusting. In the case of everything other than humans, trust isn’t even an issue. It’s their nature to intend. In Yosemite, we feel our connection to the Divine so strongly that trust is not an issue.

I give all my simplest worth to the water in Yosemite, that does not think to move, to spout, to be still, to gush with the power of a turbine! Water has within it the power of its nature to do all of that.
I feel worthy as I enjoy the changing leaves. The autumn leaves, although apparently relinquishing themselves kicking and screaming in colors of red and god, simply are fulfilling nature’s cycle. It’s their nature to do so. It’s nature’s intention that empowers every cell to let go. It’s their nature.
It’s my nature to fulfill my own intention, to reveal my Divine Nature, to find what my potential is, to praise it’s creator and to share it.

As the ministers talk this month about the Power of Intention, I know that my Buddha, Christ, teacher, student natures will “do what they do”. I intend to honor their intention to share. I intend to acknowledge everyone on my pathway as a powerful force of nature. I intend to give praise and gratitude for all the gifts being revealed.

It is my intention to reveal my Divine Potential and since I was intended into Being, then I know it is already being revealed! It’s my nature.

And so it is!

Bolded words may refer to subjects recently discussed at Chrysalis