Archive for April 2, 2009

“DOES GOD DANCE ON…”

(thoughtful story) Author Unknown

Not too long ago I had “one of those days”. I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine. By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner

….Really frustrated, now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn’t open. I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty.
It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. “I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!”
My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage:

An opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process! I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. And then I danced.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that my husband’s response wasn’t the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn’t need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that.
So now I have a question for you, and it’s simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I’ve gotten myself into frustrating situations and I’ve cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean upthe mess I’ve made of things.

What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all. Sometimes I can see right away that God’s response was the best one after all. Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular prayer the way he did. There are even some situations that, years later, I’m still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond.

Do I trust Him? Even when He’s answering my prayers in a way that is completely different from my expectations? Even when He’s dancing and stomping instead of sweeping and mopping? Can I embrace what He’s offering? Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of the dance He’s dancin’ with my needs in mind?

I will be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I’m working on doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the moreI realize that He really does know what He’s doing. He loves me and I can trust Him. Even when the chips are down.

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As is a tale, so is life not how long it is but how good it is, what matters

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having a bad day, are you?

A man was working on his motorcycle on his patio and his wife was in the house in the kitchen. The man was racing the engine on the motor- cycle and somehow, the motorcycle slipped into gear. The man, still holding the handlebars, was dragged through a glass patio door and along with the motorcycle dumped onto the floor inside the house.

The wife, hearing the crash, ran into the dining room and found her husband lying on the floor, cut and bleeding, the motorcycle lying next to him and the patio door shattered. The wife ran to the phone and summoned an ambulance.

Because they lived on a fairly large hill, the wife went down several flights of long steps to the street to direct the paramedics to her husband. After the ambulance arrived and transported the husband to the hospital, the wife uprighted the motorcycle and pushed it outside.

Seeing that gas had spilled on the floor, the wife obtained some paper towels, blotted up the gasoline and threw the towels in the toilet. The husband was treated at the hospital and was released to come home.

After arriving home, he looked at the shattered patio door and the damage done to his motorcycle. He became despondent, went into the bathroom, sat on the toilet and smoked a cigarette. After finishing the cigarette, he flipped it between his legs into the toilet bowl while still seated.

The wife, who was in the kitchen, heard a loud explosion and her husband screaming. She ran into the bathroom and found her husband lying on the floor. His trousers had been blown away and he was suffering burns on the buttocks, the back of his legs and his groin.

The wife again ran to the phone and called for an ambulance. The same ambulance crew was dispatched and the wife met them on the street. The paramedics loaded the husband on the stretcher and began carrying him to the street.

While they were going down the stairs to the street accompanied by the wife, one of the paramedics asked the wife how her husband had burned himself. She told them and the paramedics started laughing so hard, one of them tipped the stretcher and dumped the husband out. He fell down the remaining steps and broke his arm.

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Harmony

Harmony means balance between all the levels of our being: Emotional, Spiritual, Physical, Mental. Harmony can’t exist, and therefore our energy doesn’t flow smoothly when we are off balance in one or more areas.

Harmony comes with acceptance and learning to release a “need to control” external conditions, other people,etc. We have to learn that others are at the place of growth and experience that they need to be, and our path is unique. Resist the urge to be angry with others who may not be as “awake” as you are presently. Remember we all sleep and we all awaken in our own time. It is common to want to “fix” people or to feel we can love them into changing etc, this is not healthy and it causes imbalance for both parties. Be supportive without being inflictive.

Harmony in music speaks of a blending of different tones to make a song.

You are a note in the Universal Song, be sure you bring forth your true “tone” by being true to yourself and not trying to conform to what others think you should be etc.

Remember to do your best to blend in and harmonize with the other tones around you without compromising your Self and without infringing on the place of others.

Today’s Exercise:
Focus on harmonious conditions.

What can you do in your present environment/circumstances to improve the energy and flow? Sometimes the simple act of changing things around in a room, or going for a walk can help restore the positive flow of energy in our physical environment. In relationships, try open and honest communication, or ask another to share their feelings and really, really listen.

Think of more small things you can do to promote peace in your life today.

Record these activities and their effects in your journaling.

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