Tag: #purpose

EL NINO/LA NINA: NATURE’S LESSONS

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What is El Nino? It is a climate pattern that starts with warm water building up in the tropical Pacific west of South America. This happens every three to seven years or so.

Normally, the trade winds push warm water away from the coast there, allowing cooler water to surface. But when the trade winds weaken, water near the equator can heat up, and that can have all kinds of effects through what are known as teleconnections. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html

Now we are in La Nina, which means a cooling of the ocean waters. The forecasters are predicting a record number of hurricanes. La Nina occurs about every 3-5 years.

No matter the weather, I have learned the following:

  • Our perspective determines our happiness. “It takes sunshine and rain to make a rainbow.” (Roy T. Bennett)
  • Be grateful and present in the now. Accept life for what it is now.
  • Accept that we have no control over the weather; only our reaction to it.
  • By working together, massive changes can be made. “A snowflake is fragile, but look what at what they can do when they stick together.” (Vesta M. Kelly)
  • Life is like the seasons: ups and downs. Don’t let the current season define who you are.
  • Change is inevitable and each day is different with lessons from which to learn.

If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm. (Frank Lane)

The weather is cyclic. Our lives are cyclic. Whether el nino or la nina, each day is a blessing.

MACULAR DEGENERATION: WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

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Since my blog about my advancing condition of macular degeneration, many people have asked for more information about this condition.

It is defined as a progressive eye disease that affects the tiny, central part of the retina called the macula at the back of the eye and can cause loss of central vision. It is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 40. (https://www.macular.org/about-macular-degeneration)

There are two types: wet and dry. There is no cure at this time, but it can be slowed down through injections in the eyeball. AMD only affects the central part of the vision so one can see peripherally. It does not lead to complete blindness but can affect one’s ability to drive, cook, do close-up work, or recognize people.

To help prevent or slow down the course of AMD, it is important to take AREDS vitamins and eat green vegetables, especially kale. (I have found some delicious ways to fix kale.)

A most informative video about AMD through the words and eyes of men and women with varying degrees of this disease.

What I have learned:

  • No matter the loss of sight, I am still me.
  • I can adapt to anything
  • Blessings are not to be taken for granted
  • Use time wisely
  • Finish the unfinished projects
  • Be a role model for others
  • It is not what I see with my eyes that is important, but what I see with my heart and soul.

I used to read 100 books a year. Now I struggle to read one a month. I must use a large font on my e-reader which “just doesn’t seem the same.” To my fellow authors, please know I have your books on my e-reader but I must work through some sadness and frustration that I cannot pick up a book, feel its crisp (or sometimes worn) pages, and feel its lightness or heaviness in my hands. I am grieving the loss of my friends, the printed books…yes, my books have been my friends since childhood. I am learning to accept my book friends now in their new form. I appreciate your patience and understanding. As Schwartzenager said, I’ll be back.

To C.S. Boyack, I am almost done with your book, Swamp. FYI: I am enjoying it.

GIFTS OF 2022

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THIS BLOG IS IN MEMORY OF SO MANY WHO HAVE PASSED ON TO THEIR NEXT LIFE, DIMENSION, OR ADVENTURE…THEY EACH TAUGHT ME SO MUCH. THEIR LIVES ARE THE GREATEST GIFTS I RECEIVED IN 2022.

My 3 gifts from 2022: are no further loss of eyesight, celebrating and appreciating my life and those who have passed before me, and living my life’s purpose each moment.

EYESIGHT

A GIFT SO SPECIAL
FADING, BLURRING, SENSITIVE
TOO PRECIOUS TO LOSE


LIFE



INHALE, EXHALE, BREATHE
LIFE FORCE FLOWING IN AND OUT
 A NEW LIFE BEGINS
WHEN SOULS SOAR TO THE HEAVENS
OUR LOSS WE GRIEVE THEY LIVE ON



PURPOSE



TO LIVE FULL OF JOY
TO BRING JOY TO ALL OTHERS
A PURPOSEFUL LIFE
EXTEND YOUR HAND, GIVE YOUR HEART
LOVE RETURNED A JOYFUL LIFE

MY WISH FOR YOU IS THAT 2023, BRINGS YOU JOY, GOOD HEALTH, PURPOSE, AND LOVE. EACH DAY, EACH BREATH, AND EACH MOMENT IS A GIFT AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING JOY TO OTHERS.

MY JOURNEY…

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My journey began in the shadows. A bloating abdomen changed my planned destination. Surprisingly, cancer was my unwelcome travel companion. At times the tracks were in such darkness, I could not see. Questions, doubts, and fear were on all sides until I decided to find a purpose.

So, I…

chose the track of sunshine; of light. Faith, knowledge, and love surrounded me as I kept my eyes on the sun of God.

Knowledge is power. Faith gives us strength. Purpose puts us on the right track to follow. We can outshine.

For the Teal Takeover, my team is called the Outshiners. Come and join my team as walk/run “together” bringing knowledge to others about gynecologic cancers. https://www.classy.org/team/446017

Seeds of Life

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Each human is different in every imaginable way. Our looks, intellect, size, abilities, and so forth. We have evolved and adapted which we continue to do to this day.

In a way, we are like a plant, that has grown from the union of two “seeds.” A human comes from an even smaller “seed,” the union of the sperm and the egg. (the sperm and egg are not seeds by definition but are used here only metaphorically). We are each a miracle, blessed with our unique bodies, personalities, and abilities. 

The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds with a radius of 1 millimeter. According to Kundan Pandey, “They activate biochemical processes of the body and encourage healing….the seeds help to keep us healthy and fit.” (Buzzle) 

There are five references to this seed in the Bible: Matthew 17:20, Luke 17:5-6, Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, and Luke 13:18-19. (https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Mustard-Seed) From such a small seed, comes a large and strong tree from which there are many healthy products.

Just like the mustard seeds we can and do affect the lives of everyone with whom we come in contact.

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In my book, Outshine: An Ovarian Cancer Memoir, I write about the purpose of the soul…the real me. In my opinion, the soul becomes a part of the joining of the sperm and the egg.

Some important questions for each of us to consider:

  • Do I affect people in positive and loving ways?
  • Am I living each day to its fullest?
  • Do I give back as much as I receive?
  • Do I have a faith that gives me strength and peace; that can move mountains?

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. (Robert Louis Stevenson)