Thoughts - November 7, 2016

"....capture our spirits as we immerse ourselves in meaningful memories that intersect with the joyous anticipation of our hopes and promises. Amen." Benoni Silva-Netto.

Most folks have some dark places in their memories. It is probably helpful at one point or other to examine them and try to understand them. As a lover and student of history, I have come to appreciate something: "The one who is not willing to look back to the past with much appreciation and gratitude will not reach the intended future destination with success." (old Filipino adage). We know both kinds of people - those who remain bitter and discouraged. And those who can honestly be grateful for lessons learned and move on with a lightened spirit and anticipation of the future. - Beth Almond Ford

Thoughts - November 6, 2016

“Lord, where we are wrong, make us willing to change; where we are right, make us easy to live with.”
― Peter Marshall.

Rev. Marshall, who was a chaplain to the US Senate in the late 1940s, must have had his hands full. Folks were returning home after WWII; the atomic bombs were now a reality and all the repercussions of this; the Occupation of Japan and the forgiveness and trust of former enemies needed to move on; the usual bickering of politicians and the quest for power (Harry Truman was President at this time - "the buck stops here" guy). I wish more people liked history - would study it and realize there is nothing new in politics. Nothing. Even the 'media' has been around. - Beth Almond Ford

Thoughts - November 5, 2016

“You will be surprised to find how much that has seemed hopelessly disagreeable possesses either an instructive or an amusing side." from "The Heart of the New Thought" 1902.”
― Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Look for it - the amusing and/or the instructive - in almost every situation. We usually have to put a little time behind us to see the big picture. How do we develop this outlook, a less 'intense' approach to life? First, I think, we need to learn to laugh at ourselves and our foibles. And, with all due respect to others, we need to learn that people are most often doing their best and making choices they deem wise (this is the 'instructive' part more than the amusing....). But most importantly, it is the willingness to zoom in and look for the tiniest of details, the artist's stroke, the piano notes that make up the chord. Here is where the humanity comes through - and, with it, the humor. "Yes, it was a solemn occasion, heavy music, formal clothing, a ceremony of dignity....until Mark dropped his corner of the coffin..." (Okay...can you tell I'm a tad tired this morning?!) - Beth Almond Ford

Thoughts - November 4, 2016

“Of all the things a man may do, sleep probably contributes most to keeping him sane. It puts brackets about each day. If you do something foolish or painful today, you get irritated if somebody mentions it, today. If it happened yesterday, though, you can nod or chuckle, as the case may be. You've crossed through nothingness or dream to another island in Time.” 
― Roger Zelazny, Isle of the Dead.

Such a fine observation: simply a time of sleep helps lessen the irritation andembarrassment and possibly anger (and most certainly the 'foolish' feelings) of the previous day's mistakes. I think we have all experienced this phenomenon. Though, I must say, sometimes it takes me a month's worth of sleeps to get over some of the foolish or painful things I've said or done. And why is this important? Because many of us beat ourselves up over things like this and it interferes with living our lives as kind and helpful neighbors. The current phrase 'get over it' sums it up rather abruptly; I like the idea of 'get a good sleep' and 'things will look better in the morning.' Because they do. - Beth Almond Ford

Thoughts - November 3, 2016

"Life is like arriving late for a movie,
having to figure out what was going on
without bothering everybody with a lot of questions,
and then being unexpectedly called away
before you find out how it ends." Joseph Campbell.

What an apt metaphor for describing this life we attempt to 'lead' while here on planet Earth! Sometimes we feel like the star actors. Other days we are content to blend into the background. Occasionally we build the sets and apply the make-up. There are even times we write the scenes. And there are moments when we feel Directed. - Beth Almond Ford

Thoughts - November 2, 2016

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
Marcel Proust.

It is obvious as we grow older (at least for me) that we shouldn't look for another person to make us happy, but the fact is, they do. And we do. With acts of kindness, by loving someone with total selflessness, looking out for other's welfare, bringing light and laughter into another's life, listening and understanding, forgiveness.....the list goes on. I am so grateful to those people who see the little bloom (sometimes buried under leaves or snow), who reach in and help me blossom. Pass it on. - Beth Almond Ford

Thoughts - November 1, 2016

“I daresay it seems foolish; perhaps all our earthly trials will appear foolish to us after a while; perhaps they seem so now to angels. But we are ourselves, you know, and this is now, not some time to come, a long, long way off. And we are not angels, to be comforted by seeing the ends for which everything is sent.”
― Elizabeth Gaskell, Wives and Daughters.

Our trials do not seem the least bit trivial when we are in their midst. Tears in the shower, thoughts of despair, the 'black hole' place. I've been there; we all have, I imagine. But now that I'm (more than) middle-aged, I look back at those times with a bit more clarity. And I have to ask myself, "would I do it again?" Love that person, take that job, move to that location....what would I give up, had I but known? How I treasure the people who came into my life, those who surrounded me in those awful moments - could I imagine a life without knowing their presence? All in all, I look back over my life with smiles, not tears. Perhaps it is the balance of the scales in the end. - Beth Almond Ford