Boo!!

All Hallows Eve and Halloween was always a fun time for us kids. First of all, as Catholic School kids, we had the holy day off! We could cavort, eat ourselves into oblivion and have sleep overs for Halloween night without having the long arm of the law telling us "NO"!

We celebrated by having house parties after trick or treating in various neighborhoods. Dress up was normal for us - never a store-bought costume! "Beatnicks" were in-complete with guitars! My most vivid memory was a party at a friends house where her mom and older sisters came up with a "guess what it is" game. You would have a blindfold on and your hands were led to a plate full of "stuff". Peeled grapes were supposed to be eyeballs, something else was worms, etc. I was terrified! I mean, really scared, even though I could rationalize that there couldn't possible by someone's eyeball on a plate in the Ryan's basement, I got carried away in the fear.

I am happy to distribute candy to our little ones on Halloween. It's fun to see the kids each year in their costumes. It's a day where you can be free to express yourself in any way shape or form. To me, this year, I remember the loved ones that have passed this year, my friends Richie, Ollie and Fran. The souls that have separated from their bodies on this level.

Not much today

My Seminary classmate, Rev. Evelyn Digsby and I have a workshop coming up on November 6, 2010 entitled "Writing Down Your Soul", a different way of journaling with all your 5 senses. It is based on a book by Janet Connor, of the same name. We had a meeting to go over the format today and it looks really great! Great music, meditations, hand-outs and energy. Now all we need is the company. They will come.

This is the view they will see as they journal-our peaceful lake.....

Husband, Bruce's birthday was yesterday and we celebrated with a nice dinner out with two friends who are also clients. The restaurant was "The Lake House" in Bay Shore which is owned by our old neighbor, Matt Connors. His wife, Eileen, is the hostess. She is a perfect host who loves her job and people. The wait staff is great, too. We enjoyed the company and especially a fabulous gourmet meal.

Wedding tomorrow. Maybe the last outdoor one for the year. I love the bride and groom, who were recommended by my magazine editor, Susan Bela. They are so easy with each other and smile all the time! I know it will be a glorious sunny day on the Bay in West Sayville. Rehearsal was last night with both families gathering! I love this ministry!! Where else can you see so much love, share it and accept it for yourself? I know this is the beginning of a true partnership.

Diamonds on the Water

I was the officiant at a wedding on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 10 am. Yes, 10-10-10 at 10am which only happens once in 1,000 years, they say!



It was being held at a community called Atlantique on Fire Island. My co-worker has a house there and is responsible for connecting me to this couple. I asked that I might stay overnight with her since the ferry schedule would prohibit me from being there for a 10 am start. We had a wonderful day walking to Ocean Beach, next door to Atlantique. The shops and restaurants are closing for the winter season and we got some nice gifts. I found a glass bottle that was perfect for the sand ceremony that the couple had planned for their wedding.



The morning of the wedding was a gift from God. It was clear, warm, sunny, without a cloud in the sky and very little wind. The groom and his brother set up a makeshift "altar" with a surfboard. The conch shells for the sand ceremony sat on the surfboard. All the guests started walking up the beach, some in shorts and jackets, the ladies in dresses, jeans or shorts. Shoes were optional. The bride was escorted down the boardwalk and down to meet her groom by a dear friend who also threw the reception.



The sea sparkled in the background as they married each other in the presence of their community. God was invited into the ceremony and He or She certainly was shining down on the day. I thoroughly enjoyed being their "Reverend"! I was treated to a weekend on the beach that I love, drinking in all the beauty around me. The deer, almost-empty beach and especially the gorgeous ocean. Each sparkle glistened on the water, like winks from my own personal Spirit! It makes me cry to think of the vastness of that water, and how the tides are so perfectly scheduled.



I took the ferry back to Bay Shore with the Best Man, the groom's brother. We enjoyed being outside on "the top" fo the boat. He grew up summering at the beach and lives in Nashville, so we enjoyed a last trip on the Bay after a beautiful day.



Blessings on you all today!

What Does Better Look Like?

I went to an event called "What Better Looks Like" on Sunday morning. It is a national group that started by a simple question from a child. When told "You have to grow up to make this world a better place", the child replied "What does Better look like?"

The group, The Amahoro Women, gathered together after attending a Women's Empowerment weekend at Omega in Rhinebeck, NY. They met a woman named Marie from Rwanda. She is one of the women in the book "Left to Tell", by Imaculee Ilibagiza. It tells a first hand account of the genocide in Rwanda. A group of 11 women were hidden away in a bathroom for months-fearing for their lives each day. Marie, who is "Sarah" in the book, goes back to her family every two years. This year, she will be joined by the Amahoro women who will visit hospitals and orphanages, bringing hope and healing to the women and children. They'll be visiting the Congo, also.

Please keep these women in your thoughts and prayers as they go forward and serve. They hope to have 10,000 women visit Rwanda. Will you be one of them? I'm planning on it.

Connections

Our son just got engaged to a wonderful woman. They both live in Southern California but were raised in the Northeast-she's from Massachusetts and he is from New York.

How they found each other on the West Coast is easy-friend of a friend! They have similar interests--working out, enhancing their business and personal lives and enjoying being outside!
I cried when I saw the proposal on You Tube and know that we are never too far away from each other, even though we're on opposite ends of the continent. With God's grace and the help of friends, family and maturity, they should be together for a long time!

It isn't supposed to be a mystery that we humans connect. We are attracted to each other, be it male-female, male-male, female-female. We enjoy socializing and sharing common interests. Some say that we find our "soul mates" that we were searching for through many lives. Maybe we were together with these souls in past lives? This time, we are going to get it right! If the relationship is honest, open, loving and equally shared, there is a recipe for success. We are not meant to be alone. We, as humans, need each other. (Cue in Barbra Streisand "People, people who need people are the luckiest.....") I know that I am a people person. I also love my alone time. Then I go back to my human connection and share what I found during my alone time!

I connect with you through my blog. I love my Face Book pals. Just a line or two and we're in sync. I can email my cousins, filling them in on the latest in the family. I can ooh and aah over new baby pictures. I can ask that they look into a new program I'm having and spread the word to their friends. It's networking with the click of a button.

No matter what - we are all connected. In so many ways and through so many venues. There is even the telephone!!!

Blessings on you as we move into Autumn--the orange month!!