Evening Sun

There is just something about the setting sun...

This was one of the many shots I took out at Lake Hefner in OKC.

The lake,
the sunset,
the gulls
all seem
to call out to me,
they lure me in
just as a fish
is lured to a wiggling worm
on the end of a hook--
I cannot help myself,
I take picture after picture
aching desperately
to share
with those who cannot be there
just what this beauty is that I see.

The sunset,
the water,
the beautiful sky
all call to me
and my hope,
my wish
is to share with others
the intense Beauty
that I am allowed
to see.

With Love,
Pamela Rae

Day of Awakening

Woke up this morning just like every other morning--my little puppy licking my face, demanding that I let him outside to go potty. "But it's not even daylight yet!" I complained to my little guy. He didn't care. This is a brand new day, "come on, let's get started!" he seemed to say as his little body wriggled and shook and he let out a great big good morning yawn and stretched.

"Okay, okay--I'm up!" I kind of grumbled, but then he was just so darn cute, I couldn't stay too grumpy. He nearly flew out the door when I opened it and he did his thing, then came bounding back in, grabbing his toy football on the way and daring me to "tackle" him to get it--but hey, I hadn't even had my coffee yet. Do you think he cared? Nope. He comes over and drops the little red football at my feet and looks up at me with what I swear looked like a real smile and I bend down to pick it up to throw it for him, but this little guy grabs it just a split second before I could and does his mock "angry growl" at me. He wants me to chase him and try to grab the ball--but I've done this drill before and there is no way I can catch this little rascal. He's just too fast. But I chase him anyway and we play for a few minutes, then finally he is content to play his own game while I make my coffee.

Finally, coffee cup in hand--the aroma wafting through my senses, I am beginning to feel "alive" and I go in and fire up my computer to check my email. Each morning I get a very special email from "The Universe" and today's message was kind of neat, but it was a link down towards the bottom that blew me away when I clicked on it and saw the "U-Tube" video that the Universe wanted to share. This video is about an amazing man born with no limbs. He goes around to various schools giving inspirational speeches and the video depicts several areas of his life that demonstrate his amazing perseverance and abilities to deal with everyday life and to live his amazingly "normal" life. His name is Nick Vujicic and he speaks with an endearing European accent and a very open heart. I hope you will get to find his video on U-tube.

He has inspired me to be the very best I can be, to live each day to the fullest and to be thankful for the many true blessings in my life. If you'll go to www.tut.com and check out this website, you'll find a wealth of goodness and fun. Go ahead and sign up to receive these inspirational (not religious) messages from the Universe each weekday. It's free and believe me, there are gems to be found on this site, and in the messages that you'll receive and even if you wake up grumpy, you can't help but think something good is about to happen once you realize that "Thoughts become Things."

Anything is possible if we will only believe! I'm not talking about believing in religion--just believing that we as human beings can make a difference, can bring about change and can influence our own lives, the lives of our loved ones by BELIEVING that GOOD WILL PREVAIL. Try it--start thinking good, positive thoughts and watch your world around you begin to change for the better. Even before Nick's inspirational video--I have always believed that GOOD BEGETS GOOD AND BAD BEGETS BAD. But now I am even more aware that our THOUGHTS DO BECOME THINGS.

If you wake up and tell yourself it's going to be a crummy day, believe me--that's just what you'll get. If you wake up and think, "this is going to be a great day--I'm going to make it Happen!"--your day WILL be GREAT. All you have to do is focus on the positive and know that good is coming your way.

Thanks, Universe for allowing me the joy of awakening to a new day! Today is going to be FANTASTIC!!!

Flowers

Autumn at the Lake

This Love

If ever I find the words
to express this huge
all encompassing love
that lives inside my heart--
I hope these words
will find a way
to go straight to you.
For in knowing you,
loving you,
sharing times and memories
with you--
I have found
such a love
that envelopes my being
my very soul.
You see--
this love
that dwells within
is so great
and so huge
and so very intense
that it threatens
to erupt
in a happiness
and joy
that knows no bounds.
This love?
It is Sincerity
and Friendship,
Companionship,
Joy,
Truth
and life.

This love?
Dedicated to all
in my life
who truly love me
and who truly care
and who take the time
to reach out and share.

I am so abundantly blessed.
This love.--
Always I will search
for just the right words
to express to you,
My Friends, my Family,
my Fellow man--
just how very much
this gift of your friendship,
your love and warmth
mean to me.

As long as there is
this wonderous encompassing love
my spirit will forever
soar FREE. #

Loving Willa

Originally written on January 18, 2008--(Accidentally erased in early September)


I met her briefly when I first bought my house. At the time, she just seemed like another elderly lady who lived alone and was kind of eccentric in her own little ways. I figured she would never understand or get along with the likes of me, so didn't try too hard to get further acquainted with her. But part of me really wished I could get to know her anyway...

Then came the ice storm in early December 2007. Along with the ice storm came the power outages and as I sat in my house in the cold darkness, I began to wonder and worry about my elderly neighbor lady next door. At least I had a wood burning fireplace. What if she was over there with no source of heat at all?

So, off I go, traipsing across the frozen grass--cringing as each step crunched under my feet. I felt saddened to look around at all the trees on our street that were laden with ice. My neighbor's tree had already dropped a huge chunk of a limb. I shook my head in sadness, then turned back to my "mission" and knocked on my neighbor's door.

It took a few minutes, but she finally made it to the door wrapped in a blanket. She opens the door, "Why hello there, come on in!" she greets me warmly. I walk into her home and could smell the foul odor of kerosene--she was burning two kerosene lamps so she had light--ugh--the smell made me a little sick and I worried that it wasn't good for Willa to be sitting in this cold house breathing those fumes. I manage to talk her into coming over to my place and hanging out with me--we turned out her kerosene lamps and brought over her big flashlight and her medications (she's diabetic) and we slowly made the distance of our yards back over to my place.

I had the fire going and it was doing quite well and put off a good amount of light and heat. We sat there in front of the fire and chatted and got to know one another. I loved hearing stories about her life--she's 86 years young and has lived through a lot of changes. Willa has survived the death of her daughter many years ago--a tragic accident took her daughter's young life at the age of 25--leaving behind two little boys. Willa played a huge role in shaping her grandson's lives and I know that they must think the world of this strong, caring woman. When Willa was only in her 40's, she lost her husband of many years to cancer and found herself alone and on her own. She had been dabbling in the real estate business while her husband was alive, but now it became a necessitated career and apparently she did quite well at it.

Since that day in early December when the power was out, I have come to know and love Willa quite dearly. She is a wonderful lady and full of life--though like most people her age, she hates that her body is not as cooperative as it once was. Still she is someone that I cherish and truly am blessed to have in my life and always I will be thankful that the power was off that cold December day. Losing the power gave me the power to get acquainted with this fascinating and very nice, caring woman who still has so much to share with me and the rest of the world.

-------------------------------


An Update On My Beloved Willa--September 28, 2008

These last several months Willa has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and it has been a very painful ordeal for all those who love her so dearly. Watching this vibrant, fun woman deteriorate before our very eyes has been a torment that is so very hard to convey--but the beauty is that every now and then, the Willa we all know and love comes through and even though it's just for a few brief moments--it does my heart good to get those glimpses.

All too soon Willa will have to leave with her son to go live in Florida. One of her grandson's and his sweet family lives there. Her son is also planning on retiring there in the near future--so it makes sense that they move her to be closer to her relatives. Hopefully they will be able to find her a very nice assisted living center and make sure that she is in very good hands. My sweet Willa truly does need round the clock care, as she has lost her ability to remember the important details of her life such as remembering to take her insulin injections on time, remembering her pills, remembering to check her sugar levels, remembering to eat sometimes...

But as I said, now and then our true Willa surfaces and when that keen sense of humor of hers kicks in and she's smiling and feeling mischievous.

My sisters and one of my nieces and my sweet cousin, Susie and I all got together the other night. Susie set up her karaoke machine and we were having a great time with it and then Susie had to leave with her oldest daughter for a bit and when she came back she said that Willa was sitting outside on her front porch. We went over there and Willa sure enough was sitting outside with two of her great grandchildren and then another little one appeared. We brought them over to my house to join us in singing for a bit. Willa wasn't real sure she wanted to do this, but then, I wasn't giving her much of a choice...

Once there, she sits on the couch and her sweet little 11 year old grand daughter doesn't hesitate too long before she takes over with the "mike" and starts singing to some of the tunes that Susie is playing on her machine. Willa was loving it and enjoying it so much that she asked me to run over to her house and tell her son and her grandson (the children's dad) to come over and hear this. So I went to get them and they stayed for a bit and listened to this little girl with her sweet melodic voice and Willa was smiling and enjoying herself. We ended the evening with a couple of fun songs, "Zipadee doo da and Zipadee day" and also "Supercalfragilistic" and Willa actually sang along with us and looked as though she were having a great time.

I walked Willa and her grand kids back to her house next door and as we walked, our arms around one another's waist, Willa told me, "Well, Sugar, that sure was a fun party!" I don't know if she will remember it for long, but hearing those words brought tears of joy to my eyes and I hugged her and told her that I loved her as she went back into her house.

I do love my Willa. Please, dear angels, dear spirit guides, dear Universe, help my Willa and all those in her sweet family to get through this and please guide each of them and touch their hearts to be kind and understanding of this woman who I know we all love so very dearly.

Please, Willa, please, please try to remember me just a little. You have been a joy in my life and I am so thankful for your friendship and warmth and kindness. Having you to confide in, to share my hopes, my fears, my crazy life with has helped me so very much and I truly appreciate each moment that we were able to share. Always, my dear Willa, you are in my heart and always, you and those in your family are in my prayers. God Bless...

Another Wonderful Birthday Gift!

I guess we'll just call my 53rd birthday the birthday that just keeps on giving! I was given another wonderful gift this very day--the gift of hearing my good friend, Cheryl's voice over the telephone wires. She had left me a voice mail yesterday apologizing for having missed my birthday and by a wonderful stroke of luck, I happened to call her back today just as she was getting home from work!

Hearing her voice was absolutely one of the nicest and most precious gifts I could have ever received! So what if it's not my birthday! Anytime I talk to Cheryl it truly feels like a very special occasion because she is so wonderful at listening and really hearing what I have to say and she gives me wonderful, very thoughtful feedback which is always positive and heartfelt. After two hours of talking to her, my heart feels light, I'm smiling and feeling even more blessed than ever. You see, she is a very dear friend who I met up in Minnesota, one who has touched my heart from early on and I am so glad that my angels sent her into my life. She helped to pull me through some very rough times and kept me grounded when I needed someone to truly listen and care.

Cheryl has so very much wisdom and such a good, kind heart and I feel so honored to count her among my cherished friends. She makes me smile and reminds me that this world I live in is truly GOOD.

Thank you, Cheryl, for your time today--the two plus hours we spent chatting and catching up was such a wonderful way to spend my Sunday evening. You are a true and very cherished treasure of a friend and I am so blessed to have met you when I lived up in MN. Thank you for being my friend, for the smiles. I will always cherish any time that we are able to share and hope that my day to day "antics" and "adventures" give you a few smiles too!

Thank you for the times you think of me, take time to listen and to care. You are so very awesome in so many ways and all who know you must surely see the strong, wise and very caring woman that you are. I know I do!

God Bless!

An Early Birthday Gift

Tomorrow is my 53rd birthday, but yesterday (last evening) I was given one of my birthday presents early and it was one of the nicest gifts I have ever received! My dear friend that I have known since I was a kid on Briarlane called me and we talked for well over an hour. I had been missing her terribly and talking to her suddenly made my world feel so right and good again!!!

Loretta has always been like a big sister to me and has always brightened my days since I first met her. When I was a kid, she used to take the time to really listen to the things that poured out of my heart and she always made me feel like I mattered to her. I loved babysitting her kiddos because it was something I could do to help repay her for all the times she made me feel loved and accepted--plus her kids were so adorable and fun to be with too!

Even now, when we talk--she makes me feel like I am the only one in her world at the moment--giving me her full attention and listening to all the craziness going on in my life. She laughs with me, makes me know that I truly do matter to her even when her life is so very busy and full.

I needed to hear Loretta's voice last night. For days I have been dealing with my elderly neighbor (who I love dearly) and worrying about her health--and my anxiety levels were rising daily. So much that I have been having "chest pains" that make absolutely no sense. Between talking to Loretta and then later hearing the soothing and caring voice of my soulmate and best friend--I felt so very much at peace and calmed and when I awoke this morning, the pains are gone, I feel rested and once again feel like my world is GOOD!!!

Thank you, Loretta for taking the time to call. Thank you for spending those minutes with me and for sharing with me what is going on in your world and for letting me share with you. Always you will be precious and dear to my heart as are all those in your family. You are not my sister by blood, but always, always you are my sister by choice and in my heart. I love you dearly. I am so blessed to have you in my life and the many others who love me and care!!! Life is GOOD!!!

Am I so wrong? Seeking Understanding

No one really understands this complete and total love I feel for other people. I just love people and genuinely accept them and care and in so doing, I see the goodness and the wondrous gifts that they have to share and it makes me love them even more.

The few that I "fall" for are the ones who truly touch me and the ones who allow me to see deep inside of them. There are many that I care about that keep their aura's so hidden that even though I know they are basically good and kind, I do not try to get too close because they have just enough negativity that escapes to build a barrier I dare not cross. But so many are so open with their goodness and kindness and so in NEED. It is when I feel this huge need and I realize that in loving these people I can bring happiness and warmth and acceptance into their lives that I allow my heart to open and accept and then to give. And when that happens, that is when MY HAPPINESS abounds and this joy that people see is there because I am truly feeling genuine love both coming from me and to me.

But so many see that as wrong. Not just my love--but very many people in my life view my way of loving as "dangerous" or "haphazard" or "too giving, too soon, too much, too fast." But I don't b.s. people. I am just ME. When I find someone who touches my core and who I can truly relate with and to, I am an open book and share what is in essence, the REAL me. Those who are in need, who are open to receiving this gift that I have to share seem to rejoice and be thankful to find someone who truly cares and who is honest and straight and doesn't "play head games" just to make a new friend. I did that years and years ago and it only led to misunderstandings and pain. I don't need that anymore.

Now that I have found the beauty of a joyful existence, I know that all I have to do is just be who I truly am and those who are good and who truly care will stick around. Those who are not good move on because they cannot understand someone so basic and so true. They seem to believe that at any moment an ulterior motive is going to surface and spoil it all. Well, my only ulterior motive in being this way, this woman of true warmth and joy and love, is that I just love to love. I love to see the light shine in someone's eyes and know that light is coming straight form their heart. I love to know too, that in my own little way, I help put that light there and helped to bring goodness into their life even if only for a little while, even if it's just for a few days. Every ounce of happiness that escapes from my being is because of this joy that exists within me through giving and receiving very real and very true love. But to so many in today's world, I seem to be doing things all wrong. Now and then I have to wonder, "am I wrong? Should I try to change?"

I don't want to change though. This is who I am. I just wish those who love me, who meet me along the way would accept ME for ME and just allow me to live my life with the Joy of Giving my heart the only way I know how. And that is just by being kind, caring, giving, loving and REAL. That's all I know how to do, to be.

Finding Friendship In Today's World

There is just something about looking forward to the wonders and gifts that knowing a new friend can bring. Now, I'm not talking about material gifts--I'm talking about the gift of finding out what makes another person smile, finding out what adventures and excitement has unfolded in this new friend's life. Isn't it exciting and awesome to meet new people and then find (sometimes to our amazement) that these folks we have just met have lived sometimes almost parallel lives to ours? Who knew?! The magic of friendship is in recognizing that all of us are here to give of ourselves in the hopes that we will receive in return. Those who claim to give completely selflessly are either liars or truly fooling themselves--but never fooling others. Most people can recognize a true and giving heart. Most people will respond to a joyful heart and one who is upbeat and positive because it is positivity and forward thinking that Makes Things Happen. (A very good friend taught me that).
Friendship and warmth are what makes the world go around. Along with the friendship and warmth eventually comes love if the two friends click and find that one another's personal quirks are not so annoying that they cannot blend into the realm of caring and sharing. Alot of folks are intolerant of all who are different and don't hold the same belief system as you do--but my challenge to all people is to just try to embrace someone whose views differ from yours. Take this person into your heart and do your best to at least understand and comprehend their view point. No, you don't have to agree. But at least keep an open mind and lo and behold--you may find that in spite of your differences, you have found a TRUE and CARING friend.
If we all had the same ideas, the same needs, wants, desires and the same opinions and view points--would not this world be a totally boring place to live? I choose to embrace and care and include all walks of life into my world of existence. I share my heart, my warmth, my world with all those who dare to enter my realm of existence--for in my world--there is no prejudice, no hate, no taboos--save for those who are truly evil. And should I run into someone who is evil--I side step them and send a prayer up to my angels, my spirit guides, my Universe to cleanse their tormented soul and help them to find inner peace. Evil comes from an inherent need to be loved and accepted and from pure ignorance of finding the proper ways to ask and seek out that love and acceptance.
Friendship is such a beautiful gift to both give and to receive. It is human nature to want to be accepted by others, to want to be genuinely cared for and treasured for who you TRULY are. A real friend will accept and overlook minor flaws and strive to give joy as well as receive joy from the union of two lone souls who just happened to find a blended path. And should the day come when those friends must part and go separate ways, imagine the gifts that you get to take along as you bid farewell! The gift of having known and loved and cared and learned. For each friend, each soul we meet along the way has a unique story to tell, wondrous life lessons to teach, awesome talents to share and genuine smiles and hugs and real, honest to god warmth to exude from their heart. Just how beautiful is THAT??? Friendship. Don't pass it by. Please stay open and let those souls in who are seeking a true and caring friend. Who doesn't need a friend? I know I do. Always I am open to meeting someone new. I hope you will be too!!! #