Consciously Silent

"Consciously Silent

Every time, before you eat, take a moment to be silent. Close your eyes if you like, or just fix your attention on a neutral object or point. Take a few slow, deep breaths. Think about your body and that you’re about to feed and nourish it. Gather a sense of gratitude about the food, and know how lucky you are to have it when many others don’t. Remind yourself of your commitments to eat well, but just enough. Remember that you love your body, and yourself. Then be silent again for a little while.

Silence is anything but empty! When you put yourself and your thoughts aside, you let God come into your awareness. You come to sense that all is right and well with everything and with you.

Being consciously silent before eating can ground you, making you aware of the magnitude of what you’re about to do. You are taking another living thing’s life into your body. Food was once alive and by the act of eating it, you claim its life for yours. You are continuing the flow of God’s magnificently intricate eco-system with each bite.

The silence allows you to access the deepest part of your being -keeping your conscious mind's chatter at bay for a moment – for you to experience the truly awesome living God-energy that you are.

Return to the beginning of time, to the beginning of creation for a moment – in silence. "

Norris Chumley

Autumn Leaves

 

Four Seasons: Looking out my back door

Spring


Summer


Fall


Winter

Breaking Bread

"October 21, 2005
Nourishment For The Soul
Breaking Bread Together

As we rush to keep up with the speed of our busy lives, one of the first activities we tend to sacrifice is the sharing of a meal with other people. We may find ourselves eating alone at the kitchen counter or hurriedly drinking a cup of soup while driving in our cars. Yet taking the time to share a meal with family or a close friend not only feeds your body, but also it can nourish your soul. Companionship can fill the heart the way warm stew can satisfy your belly. Eating a meal with others allows you to slow down, while nurturing your relationships.

Breaking bread with others can be treated like a ritual where the gestures of sharing and togetherness are just as important as the food you eat. Planning, preparing, and consuming a meal are all stepping off points toward good conversation, bonding, and learning about someone else. Inviting a new acquaintance to share a meal can be the start of a wonderful friendship. A shared breakfast can be a brainstorming session between coworkers, or it can set the tone for a positive day for family members. Lunch with a friend can be a welcome break from the day's stress, as well as a chance to unwind. Dinner with loved ones can be a chance to talk about the day's events with people who truly care. Sometimes, there may even be no need for conversation, and you may want to share a meal with someone while sitting in comfortable silence.

The breaking of bread can be a fulfilling experience, especially when done among people you love and trust. So the next time you find yourself rushing through a meal in front of your computer, you may want to pause and reconsider. The warm feelings, sense of security, and enjoyment you experience from sharing a meal with others may be the kind of break that you really need."

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2005/650.html

Remember your spiritual side

"The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays." -- Soren Kierkegaard

Reminding ourselves often of our spiritual natures truly changes the quality of our lives. It helps us relax, slow down, lighten up, and generally find more space and joy in life.

When we get down on ourselves or life, we can pull back and ask, "How might my soul regard this situation? What am I being invited to experience?"

This shift in perspective helps us let go of the resistance that always comes with negativity. As energy once again begins to flow, our outlook brightens.

"Spirituality is the sacred center out of which all life comes, including Mondays and Tuesdays and rainy Saturday afternoons in all their mundane and glorious detail. ... The spiritual journey is the soul's life commingling with ordinary life." -- Christina Baldwin

"It is not my business to think about myself. My business is to think about God. It is for God to think about me." -- Simone Weil

http://higherawareness.com/

Free - three adorable black kittens

6-7 months old, all boys. All three very sweet and loving. They are strays and have been outside their whole little lives but I have been handling them and getting them used to people. They desperately need a home before the cold weather sets in! I do not want to take them to the shelter.



They look exactly alike except one has a half tail (part Manx).

I am in the Elkview area but will meet you anywhere in the Charleston area, Chesapeake, Marmet, South Charleston, St. Albans, Sissonville. Will consider going as far as Teays Valley or even Huntington. Or will meet you halfway if you live further.

PLEASE if you know anyone who could give one or more of these kittens a good home, comment or email me at msjamie@charter.net

Maddie playing soccer 

My Ebay Listings

My Ebay Listings

Free Kitten 

The new Chili Willi's 

Inside the new Chili Willi'ls 

Sumac

I was wondering what these trees/weeds in my back yard were and finally figured it out - Sumac! The non-poisonous variety. It has red berries now andthe leaves are turning red now.





http://altnature.com/gallery/sumach.htm

TheSims2.com - About The Sims 2 Nightlife

TheSims2.com - About The Sims 2 Nightlife

It's here, it's here!

Wilson, Big & Rich To Tour This Fall

Wilson, Big & Rich To Tour This Fall

Charleston's not on the tour. Damn them!

Maybe we can go see them in Nashville at the Ryman. That would be way cool.

Nick playing soccer

Hayes Junior High
09/07/05

"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and GOD.
It was never between you and them anyway."

-- Mother Theresa

Happy Birthday, Dave!

Happy Birthday, Shawn!

Balance

"For all my good intentions, there are days when things go wrong or I fall into old habits. When things are not going well, when I'm grumpy or mad, I'll realize that I've not been paying attention to my soul and I've not been following my best routine.”" -- Robert Fulghum

How do you need to bring more balance to your life?

Robert Fulghum has shared, “The older I get, the more I realize the importance of exercising the various dimensions of my body, soul, mind and heart. Taken together, these aspects give me a sense of wholeness. I want to be a whole human being rather than one who limps on one leg because I don't know how to use all of my parts. Intellectual, emotional, and physical activity are not separate entities. Rather, they are dimensions of the same human being.”

"There is an Indian Belief that everyone is in a house of four rooms: A physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room everyday, even if only to keep it aired, we are not complete." -- Rumer Godden

http://www.higherawareness.com

Recipe blog

http://jamiesrecipes.blogspot.com/

Me and Husband and the Kentucky Headhunters, Monongalia County Fair 1997 

Being Genuine

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

When we don't know who we are -- or if we are afraid to be who we are -- we betray ourselves. We pretend to be who we think we are. Our self image is made up of our experiences, desires and other people's ideas and expectations of us.

Maintaining this false self is a betrayal of ourselves. In all deep spiritual journeys, there is the experience of betrayal. Betrayal always tells us to adjust our life to be more authentic. What we identify with is all important.

There are large betrayals (e.g., your partner leaving you) and small betrayals (e.g., disappointments). They are all experiences of being wounded for the purpose of breaking down the defenses of the personality. When we allow the wounding and accept the betrayals as divine gifts, we greatly benefit.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -- Dr. Seuss (via Elena)

"What you must dare is to be yourself." -- Dag Hammarskjold

http://www.higherawareness.com

Kimberly McCullough returns to General Hospital

"After a five-year absence, Kimberly McCullough will return to General Hospital in a reprisal of her role as Robin Scorpio.

The HIV-positive character Robin Scorpio will return to Port Charles after a lengthy stint in Paris. Kimberly McCullough, who first joined General Hospital's cast when she was just seven years old, will once more portray the beloved Robin.

'I am filled with eager anticipation to return to the role of Robin Scorpio,' said McCullough. 'It is so flattering to know that, after all these years, GH fans are still excited about Robin coming back to Port Charles. I can't wait to be back with my family again.'

The actress's 'family' is just as eager to work with her again. ABC Daytime president Brian Frons stated, 'Robin Scorpio is a character that the fans have never forgotten and has ties to so many of the current stories that are playing. I am delighted that Kimberly will be reprising this role, and we can all look forward to an emotionally compelling story that will draw Robin back into the fold.'"

More here: Kimberly McCullough returns to General Hospital

Zoo Cams

Thanks to Mom for this great link:

Panda Cam

There is a little baby girl panda there - you can view time lapse video of the pandas from previous days - that's how I saw the baby. She is so cute!!

Time Lapse Video

More cams from this zoo:

Polar Bears

Apes

Elephants

Olive Garden Sangria

1.5 Liters Soleo Red Table Wine
10 oz Grenadine
16 oz cranberry juice cocktail
12 oz sweet vermouth
10 oz sugar water (5 oz sugar diluted)
Strawberries
oranges
crushed ice

This makes a gallon. Mix all ingredients except for ice. Pour sangria in glass and then add ice. Make sure there is fruit in every glass.

Open to the Moment

""Why not concentrate on the now instead of hoping for better times in the future? Why not understand the now instead of forgetting it and hoping for the future? Isn’t the future just another trap?" -- Anthony de Mello

Soul exists only in this moment. Every moment, no matter what the conditions, offers opportunities to touch and experience life in a new way. Our egos, with their fears and desires, easily get trapped in the past and the future, but the power to change exists only in this moment.

We don’t need to know more or have more before we can live more deeply. We simply need to pay attention to what’s happening now. To open without judgment to the worlds around and within us.

"Nothing is worth more than this day. You cannot relive yesterday. Tomorrow is still beyond your reach." -- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe"

http://www.higherawareness.com

Snoop & Roscoe Photo Blogs

http://snoopkittykat.blogspot.com/

http://roscoepkittytrane.blogspot.com/

My boys 10/17/04
Posted by Picasa

Stubby's Photos

The photoblog for my cat Stubby:

Stubby's Photos

Big Kenny 

Stubby Boy 

Cultivate Your Crone Qualities

The hardest years of life are those between ten and seventy. -Helen Hayes

From "Crones Don't Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women" by Jean Shinoda Bolen:

"I am proposing that it is time to reclaim and redefine 'crone' from the word pile of disparaging names to call older women, and to make becoming a 'crone' a crowning inner achievement of the third phase of life.

To be a crone is about inner development, not outer appearance. A crone is a woman who has wisdom, compassion, humor, courage, and vitality. She has a sense of truly being herself, can express what she knows and feels, and take action when need be. She does not avert her eyes or numb her mind from reality. She can see the flaws and imperfections in herself and others, but the light in which she sees is not harsh and judgmental. She has learned to trust herself to know what she knows.

Those crone qualities are not acquired overnight. One does not become a full-fledged crone automatically following menopause, any more than growing older and wiser go hand in hand. These are decades that follow menopause in which to grow psychologically and spiritually."

Interview with the author: Entering the Crone Age: Author Jean Shinoda Bolen talks about turning a negative stereotype into an inspiring archetype for older women

Visualizing a new job

"If you want to make an idea real, visualize. Sit or lie down. Close your eyes, and think of something you want to manifest--say, a new job that uses all your talents. Begin to paint a mental picture of the new job and you doing it. Fill in as many details as you can about the workplace, the work you're doing, your coworkers. Imagine yourself energized and fulfilled in your work, and amply paid for it. Dare to dream big: when your vision becomes relaity, you wouldn't want to think you'd settled for less than you deserve."

Source: One Spirit Book of Days

Big & Rich Album

The moved back the release date for the new album for some reason, and renamed it also.

"Look for the new album, Comin' To Your City, in stores November 15th.

NASHVILLE, TN (August 17, 2005) - Warner Bros. Records is pleased to announce that Big & Rich will release their new album, Comin' To Your City, on November 15th. Big Kenny, John Rich and Paul Worley all returned to the producers' chairs for this new 13-track release. The title track to Comin' To Your City will serve as the first single, both the song and the accompanying video will hit country radio and video outlets in September. Comin' To Your City features such crowd pleasers as the uptempo tracks "Blow My Mind" and the title track. "Never Mind Me" is a beautiful ballad that has not only the blended harmonies that Big & Rich are known for, but it showcases Big Kenny's rich baritone and John Rich's angelic tenor. Country music legend Kris Kristofferson lends his vocal talent to the opening narrative of the haunting "8th Of November," a true story about Vietnam vet Niles Harris and the fateful day on November 8, 1965 when the 173rd Airborne Brigade was ambushed by over 1200 Vietcong during Operation Hump.

The galactic duo is set to roll out their new album in their usual Big & Rich style.

Big & Rich is currently on the road with Brooks & Dunn's 34 city national Deuces Wild Tour, which concludes on October 30th in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Webpage Update

Webpage updated:
- added West Virginia page
- linked to old recipes page
- added Big & Rich concert photos (see photo page)
- added photos of Spruce Knob (see West Virginia page)

http://webpages.charter.net/msjamie/

What is this flower?

Wildflower

I can't figure out what kind of flower this is. It was found on the road up to Spruce Knob.

I'm back

Well I kind of forgot about this place. There are other places on the web that I frequent. But I think I'm going to get into this more, and update my web page. I have so many ideas of what I want to do, but not enough time to do them all.

Spruce Knob