May 2018 – Searching for Grady

The Remnants of Us

May 30, 2018June 1, 2018Grady14 Comments

We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there ~ Pascal Mercier

10603655_10152225612835388_8899122775528515758_n — photo by Grady

We spend a lifetime making memories and we leave a little of ourselves in each memory we make. A part of us remains with our family, friends, lovers, even passing strangers. We may forget some of these memories but the people we make them with very seldom, if ever, forget. So we should try to make our life stories memorable in the best possible way.

Fragments of our past, like tea leaves in the bottom of a teacup, remain behind to tell a story. Mostly good ones but some, perhaps, can leave a bad taste in one’s mouth. Try not to be someone’s bad memory.

The Real You

May 28, 2018May 31, 2018Grady25 Comments

Just imagine becoming the way you used to be as a very young child, before you understood the meaning of any word, before opinions took over your mind. The real you is loving, joyful, and free. The real you is just like a flower, just like the wind, just like the ocean, just like the sun ~ Don Miguel Ruiz

We spend so much time searching for The Meaning of Life little realizing that as we search, so we travel further and further away from our true self and how we perceived ‘our’ world back then. Those precious moments of wide-eyed awe as we became aware of our senses and the emotional high that came with seeing a beautiful flower or holding a tiny kitten. To lie in the grass and stare up at the sky as clouds magically turned into animals and birds. A world of love, joy and freedom, a world of wonder and curious thought. Somehow the growing up years manage to take this away from us.

And this is why I am Searching for Grady.

29391556_10155048842010388_1746799716_o — A young Grady

Make your own Music

May 27, 2018May 31, 2018Grady14 Comments

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything ~ Plato

14339671386_2ba1890eaf_o — photo by Grady

Take a step back and observe life’s different perspectives. It is easy to get caught up in the hubbub of mass thinking. You can follow a Marching Band, and misstep your way through life, lose sight of your passions, or you can march to the beat of a different drummer.

Make your own music. Listen to your Heart.

Shadow Dancing

May 22, 2018May 31, 2018Grady11 Comments

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves ~ Buddha

9652275738_fd28aabe5c_o (1) — photo by Grady

In life we have choices. We can allow ourselves to get caught up in the everyday tumultuous dances or we can trip the light fantastic in the magnificent Grand Ballroom of Life. Either way our shadows will follow. Choose wisely.

Dance with Joy!

Self-Indulgence

May 22, 2018May 31, 2018Grady4 Comments

The self-absorbed cast themselves as victims to justify their self-indulgence ~ Alan Robert Neal

For some, living in that constant state of self-absorption, making everything solely about themselves eventually leads to discord within their circle of family and friends. A deliciously decadent choice of shoe can easily become an occasion for self-indulgence in the way of bringing conversation back to themselves.

Even ‘walking on diamonds’ gives them an opportune moment to become the victim, to strut out a repertoire of indulgent complaints, demanding from us our full and undivided attention.

Clear Conscience

May 17, 2018May 31, 2018Grady21 Comments

Only a person who has passed through the gate of humility can ascend to the heights of the spirit ~ Rudolf Steiner

When we finally leave our here and now and go to our place of Spiritual Bliss, there should be no barriers of regret. No walls of guilt or chains of emotional destruction. There should be no negative debris. Our life landscapes should be free of such litter when we decide it is time to leave. Rather, we should strive for a life well lived. A life filled with love and good intention.

A clear conscience. So that when the time comes for us to pass through the Gateway, our Spirits will soar!

Life’s Obstacles

May 15, 2018May 31, 2018Grady7 Comments

Remember, that of all the elements that comprise a human being, the most important, the most essential, the one that will sustain, transcend, overcome and vanquish obstacles is Spirit ~ Buddy Ebsen

Some see life’s obstacles as barriers. Negative energies put there purposely, by the Great Unknown, to stunt our mind, body and spirit’s growth. Perhaps we should rather see them as life’s rest stops. A time and place where we can refuel, build positive energy and think things through rationally. A mindful way of approaching solutions.

Even the Bayou Teche in flood is seemingly gentle, overflowing barriers, as it slowly snakes it’s way towards the Gulf of Mexico.

The Ebb and Flow of Love

May 14, 2018May 31, 2018Grady8 Comments

You don’t need to be the tide to rise and fall, you don’t have to be a wave to touch the shore; just be a little sand-grain and feel them all― Munia Khan

Beneath the apparent calm, is an undercurrent of wild passion in each of us. Like the waves in the sea, love has a tendency to ebb and flow. There will always be highs and lows in our relationships. The highs, when love fulfills our heart’s desire followed by a natural wane of emotional disconnect. Try to get to that place where you can ride the tide. To rise and fall in harmony with each other. To love and be loved.

Be that grain of sand that feels everything.

Invisible, yet not…

May 12, 2018May 31, 2018Grady8 Comments

The more often we see the things around us – even the beautiful and wonderful things – the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds – even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin

We should never take life, the people in it or our natural environment for granted. To do so is to lose the very essence of our spirit, to suffer a temporary blindness. There are so many extraordinary and inspiring people out there and so many breath-taking moments given to us by Mother Earth. We just have to open up ourselves, and our eyes, to see them. We have to open our hearts.

As we go through life, when we fail to appreciate what we have in front of us, we lose sight of the beauty that surrounds us. Like a bird in a tree, invisible, yet not.

Live your Best Life

May 8, 2018May 31, 2018Grady9 Comments

Everyone has a purpose in life and a unique talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals ~ Kallam Anji Reddy

16798694629_5ef1d69928_k — photo by Grady

We all wonder about our purpose in life and what it is we could be doing to make a difference. There is something worthy within all of us. Something we can offer to others with very little if any sacrifice. Kindness, compassion, perhaps a shoulder to lean on. A good sense of humor to lighten someone’s day.

And, even Jolie, a scruffy and muddied Guard Mule has purpose. Imaginary Unicorn grazing in a field of dreams keeping a mindful eye on the cattle.