Posts Tagged Love

My Inspiration, My Friend, My Love, My Hero

April 18th, 2011 by Elizabeth

On February 12th, 1997 I walked into the North Miami Beach Animal Shelter in search of a special puppy. Little did I know that I would end up finding one of the best friends of my life.

Actually, I should say that she found me. I had been scanning all of the cages, saying ‘hi’ to many sweet furry pups, but when I approached one particular cage, this cute furry ball came bounding toward the cage door as soon as she saw me. That was it. I was hooked…and so was she.

As we drove home that day to start our new life together, we were both beside ourselves with excitement. That was the beautiful beginning to an amazing relationship with one of the most special, loving animals I have ever known.

Sadly, we had our final drive together Wednesday night as I brought her to the vet to take her out of her pain and help her to move on to the next phase of her journey. As you have read in my previous posts, my dear sweet Pebbles had been attacked by what she called the cancer monster. We had chosen to have her left front leg amputated in December to keep her with us for as long as possible as she was still fully enjoying her life.  After the surgery she was doing so well–hopping around, eating up tons of chicken and carrots, and loving life. But then a couple of weeks ago I noticed that her breathing had changed. We visited our (amazing!) vet Dr. Jody and she took an x-ray of Pebbles chest. Unfortunately, the cancer had spread fully to her lungs. We knew then it was just a matter of time. So we just continued loving, playing, and having special treats and even more special moments.

She was such an amazing Warrior. So strong, never giving up until she just couldn’t stand on her own any more.  And even then she fought hard. She never whimpered, whined or complained once. She is my inspiration, my friend, my love, my hero. I still can’t believe she is no longer here.

She had a wonderful life filled with digging holes, chasing squirrels, hiking in the mountains of Massachusetts, California, and the red rocks of Sedona, dining on juicy carrots and tender chicken,  living in 4 states, helping to chase a bear up a tree, licking juice-stained roasting pans, being an older sister to two younger brothers she loved, experiencing the United States countryside as we drove 3000 miles across from East to West, walking in the desert, lying on the beach, playing with other dogs, puppies, and cats, swimming in a pond, getting groomed, being spoiled beyond belief, and being loved and cherished as the Queen that she was. She was Love personified.

I will never forget my special girl. She has touched many a heart, not just mine. She taught me to love deeply, to smile and laugh whenever possible, to find joy in everything and in every moment, and to never ever give up.

Here’s to you my beauty. I will love you forever.

Just Like A Tripawd Pro

February 19th, 2011 by Elizabeth

Hopping around, tail-wagging, and smiling—these are some of the things that Pebbles does a lot these days. She is so very amazing to watch. She charges up the hill just outside our house and most of the time she gets up on her own to drink water, eat and go out. Sometimes she needs a bit of balance from a two-legged, but she is back to fully enjoying life–just in a new three-legged way. She’s even playing with her cherished toys again (she had given up play for awhile after the  surgery). One of her morning rituals now is going into the front part of the house to visit with the cats (and get a few biskees while she’s at it).

Nothing seems to stop her from taking every advantage of finding joy in her life. One of the most amazing things I have seen is that her heart seems to have tripled in size. She was always a very sweet, loving dog, but lately there is a different look in her eyes when she gazes into mine. Maybe it’s gratitude or maybe it’s just pureness of love. Whatever it may be, it’s quite remarkable and totally melts my heart.

She is beauty and sweetness personified (or should I say dog-ified?). My life is richer and fuller for having made the choice that we made. And I think she is delighted too. As she said, “It’s just a leg anyway.”

If you want to follow Pebbles’ complete Adventure, just click HERE!

The Energy of Love

December 14th, 2010 by Elizabeth

Love shows Itself continuously– everywhere– in a myriad of forms. Love for a partner, friend, parent, or family member. But are you fully seeing and acknowledging It everywhere you can? This encompassing energy can sneak up on you when you least expect it. I am not necessarily talking about romantic love, but something even more profound. There is a Love that can show up between two people that can bring you to a place that you never saw coming or never traveled to so quickly.

So I ask you this: are there those you meet in your life with whom you feel and share this rare, vibrating energy but, instead of acknowledging it, you just walk by and say to yourself, “Wow! That was amazing!” and just keep going? Next time turn around and speak; speak your Truth. You may never have another chance. And what if that sharing brings you to a whole new level of Being? When my soul energy is stirred, I speak; I  boldly speak my Truth when my heart is touched.

If you are withholding your voice and feelings and thoughts because of fear of judgment or rejection or not getting the response you expect, just do it anyway. Expect that you will be fully embraced. I feel that so many of us are living our lives at times in a cocoon and not expressing our Love or admiration to those we meet–even if those moments are short and there is a chance we will never see him or her again. It is time to share of ourselves in any and all ways.

Look them in the eyes and say what you need to say!

I love this song of John Mayer’s.  Listen closely to the lyrics. They could mean all the difference in your life and your world, and in the life and the world of another.

The Discovery of Your Personal Alchemy: #7

October 5th, 2010 by Elizabeth

As I have been saying, discovering your inner magic is not about creating your inner Magic. On the contrary, you are loaded to the gills with Magic. It is about REDISCOVERING your inner magic. You have simply forgotten that you have this vast storehouse, this amazing bag of tricks. So here I present to you yet another key to rediscovering your Wizardly powers:

Music makes the world go around.

It also can assist you in discovering your inner magic.

The beauty of music is that it can put you in touch with your wizardry in an instant. That’s because music is Life. It stirs our inner being. It touches our hearts. With its power it can remind us to breathe, to become present, to feel our hearts beating with the breath of Life. Its simplicity can bring a tear or a smile or even remind us of all the somethings that are beyond this 3-D dimension. It reminds us of love, passion, and beauty while it fills us with joy and peace. And that is where we find our inner Merlin–nestled within that vibration of love, joy, and peace.

My suggestion to you is that you make music more and more of a conscious choice in your everyday existence. Let it take you away to those magical creative places and let your vibration soar through the roof tops. Make it a part of your daily routine–just like brushing your teeth.

When you are feeling less than wizardly, put on your favorite tune. When you are looking to feel more empowerment, melt into a wonderful symphony. Or when you are simply wanting to find some peace and strength amidst a hectic day, fall into your favorite melody.

Below I share with you some songs that assist my magic in flowing forth. I know you have your favorites too.

Eva Cassidy: an all-time-favorite from an amazing beauty:

David Lanz: Simply magical…

You are the composer of your life. The symphony is yours to conduct and arrange and set to the music of your dreams. As you hear the lilting, magical melodies of your choosing, feel and know for sure that you are Merlin and Merlin is you.

I Love You

July 11th, 2009 by Elizabeth

Whenever you have a moment of fear, doubt, unworthiness, pain, suffering, loneliness, or sadness, remember the words that you about to hear below in this lovely, profound, tear-and-goosebump-inducing video from Joyce Meyer Ministries.

Here’s to you as you feel and know the Oneness of All That Is.

The Art of Love

March 10th, 2009 by Elizabeth

Back on December 30, 2008 I introduced you to one of my heroes, Miss Pebbles LaPrade. Today I am excited for you to meet another one of my heroes: Mr. Monty LaPrade.

Monty is my hero because he sees the good in everything. The good in a biscuit, the good in a rainy day, the good in the veterinarian, even the good in “being on punishment” (His tail wags the whole time he is being scolded). He finds complete joy in chasing a cat or my neighbor’s annoying, nosy cocker spaniel while chipmunks give him the excitement of testing out his Houdini-backyard-escape skills.

He runs into the woods with complete abandon, flying off of hills into ravines all because he is filled with joy and presence. I’ve watched for years as he careens off a slope as if he has targeted the juiciest squirrel ever. The beauty is that usually there is nothing specifically there. Just the joy of being. The joy of the woods. The joy of his present moment and no other.  Enjoying life as it is.

Monty is my hero because he grows my heart. How could my heart not double in size after looking into those big, brown, captivating eyes and licked to within an inch of my life? He doesn’t even have ulterior motives with this crazed affection of his like, “Hey! I will surely get extra biscuits tonight with this!” No. He is just Love. All he truly knows is Love; an admirable ability to say the least. And the interesting thing is that we are all really just that: Love. Unfortunately, we often forget that and get caught up in our ulterior motives or other self-serving thoughts or ways of being. Yes, we are only human and we are here to learn the true art of Love. Monty is here in my life as a Master teacher of that art. I embrace his sweet lessons as he innocently touches my heart. His lessons are powerful and subtly pack a punch. And often one of these lessons in particular stands out the most:  perhaps the world would be a better place if it did just go to the dogs…

Are you studying?

January 28th, 2009 by Elizabeth

Accept what is. What you resist persists. Go with the flow.

Undoubtedly, most of us have heard one or all of these phrases. And they sound oh-so-great when you are sitting in the seminar room or with your fellow practitioners at a meditation sit or even as you pour over a Byron Katie book. But let’s be honest. You never fully understand those phrases until you get down and dirty in your own life and just experience first hand, putting all that learning to practice.

I have taken a lot of self development courses, but the one that I am presently enrolled in is by far the BEST I have ever taken. It is on-going. It is called “My Own Life”. Full enrollment began on October 20 1962 the second  I was born. Sometimes I am a bit perplexed as to why I would have registered for such a course. But the great thing is that the rest of the world is also enrolled in the same course at the same University: LifeU. Everyone has different curricula than I do, but some of us have similar professors, some of us prefer taking the tests without studying and going blindly into class, and some are even trying to cheat on their final exams. But we all answer to the Dean of the Universe. We can struggle and fight as we learn and move along toward Graduation Day, or we can quietly pull our chairs up to our desks and crack the books with honesty, integrity, courage, and a zest to learn.

Sharing our learnings is one of the neatest aspects of LifeU. Why not look to your classmates for assistance in cramming for that mid-term? So now, if you don’t mind, this classmate would like to share intimately with you what she learned while she got down and dirty in her studies this past weekend (this blog is G-rated, by the way, for any of you wondering about the “down and dirty” part…).

I have fairly recently closed the door on a traumatic, unhealthy relationship of 11 years and, as a result of that, I have entered a phase of renewing, blossoming,  learning the true meaning of self-love, and beginning to see the True Love that is Elizabeth.  Light is flooding my life with a gorgeous new relationship, I am selling my house, and my spiritual work has taken on new incredible and exciting dimensions. So much excitement, love, and light in my life! So here I am, just sailing along singing and laughing and then…do you hear that? Yup. That sound you hear is of that other shoe dropping.

Last Thursday I woke up with feelings of dread, loneliness, and despair, coupled with self-doubt and great feelings of self-hatred (and goodness knows what other darkness was thrown in there). Out of the blue. Nothing in particular had happened. Nothing that I could put my finger on at least. My lonely empty house felt to have doubled in size and the halls echoed with the sounds of my wailing as I felt the loneliness and trauma arise. My dogs ran to help, but their tender pawings at my body and kisses on my face did nothing to soothe me. The cold and the dark of the winter loomed and seemed to intensify all of the pain. I felt so removed and disconnected from the world. My boyfriend was working and on the other coast, adding to the isolation. The tears and the wailing went on into Friday and  Saturday. The fortunate thing was that I have been in similar classrooms before (with different teachers), and the pages of the book seemed familiar.

So what LifeU had previously taught me was to look at what it is that is coming up. Observe it. Then you will become separate from it and it will eventually dissolve. So I was aware and did that. The odd thing was that this time, the intensity was far greater than anything I had ever experienced. In those moments I could totally understand how some of our classmates ditch school and flunk out.

So at 4 AM on Sunday morning, as I lay crumpled face down on the floor, I experienced one of the biggest revelations of my life. In a moment of satori (instant enlightenment), I saw that I had been looking and observing the “crap”, the negative stuff coming up, but I realized that I had not been fully ACCEPTING it, and I was judging it for being there. The minute I accepted and stopped judging, even if it all didn’t make any sense, I  reconnected and felt peace. In that moment of exquisite realization, my teacher handed me my paper with a big A+ on it with a big gold star.

So you may be wondering why I could have all that stuff coming up if I am in such a joyous, love-filled place in my life. Here is exactly why: one of my glorious teachers, Sondra Ray, taught me that “Love brings up everything unlike itself for the purpose of healing”. So then  it is no wonder. With so much love in my life, there was no escaping this accelerated learning portion of my Life Course.

I highly recommend practicing the acceptance part. No matter how unpleasant or strange it may seem. Love it and embrace it. Fully and without reservation. Perhaps this can help us as the semesters  roll along. I personally want to go to the head of the class. I intend on graduating with the highest of honors. Maybe even with a Ph.D and summa cum laude…