"Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." 
 Psalm 34:10
 For many people who were born in the 1930s and 1940s, being frugal was an everyday virtue.  Once the rough times passed, jobs became more available and life for the most part was less stressful.  However, once the condition of being deprived and the need to be wary of any type of extravagance is entrenched in daily life, it becomes part of ones essential character.  So when life becomes more affluent this characteristic can manifest in different ways.  We may keep that frugality all of our lives, or we may become spendthrifts.  For the most part during the decades of the recent past, spending and conspicuous consumption became the norm.  The glut of merchandise, products, everything imaginable being available was irresistible.  Then the stock market crash in 2008 forced the economy into the Great Recession.  Again thrift is in vogue.
 The media has no shortage of lists to the public on ways to cut back, ways to save money, ways to stay within budget.  It is no longer an embarrassment to shop for the cheapest item, compare prices, even to voice that fact (not to say brag).  There is a whole section of society proud to be called "cheapskates."  A book has been published; "The Cheapskate Next Door" by Jeff Yeager based on his interviews of penny pinchers across the United States.  One of the major points of the book is that "thrift is more about knowing what you cherish and skipping the rest."  Who among us doesn't have stuff that is never used? We can't remember why we bought it, and someday plan to think about getting rid of it.  How much contentment and happiness was experienced when we finally got something that we couldn't live without?
 We can fluctuate with the tide, earnings up--spend more:  income down--tighten belt.  But do we really need to?  True prosperity is not found in the outer world, nor is it determined by the amount of money that we have.  TRUE prosperity comes from the wisdom that we are blessed at all times in all ways.  We don't have to look for it, it is already here waiting to be discovered.  Prosperity is a mind set, a consciousness, a knowing that everything we need is already supplied.  If we give freely of whatever we have--financial resources, time, energy or love--giving from the heart, the immediate return is joy and satisfaction.  With this giving and receiving we know that material possessions do not define prosperity.  Giving opens the way for God's blessings to circulate.  Give from the knowledge that we live in an abundant universe.
 "The point is this:  the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
    2 Corinthians 9:6
We can all learn to live more simply with fewer material things.  There are a number of practical ways to do that.  Those choices and decisions are personal and individual.  However, starting the day with a couple of affirmations taken from Unity's Daily Word will at least remind us of true prosperity:
 "I have all the time, energy, and money needed to do what is mine to do."
 "I live in an abundant universe."
 Article by Judy Struna

The Power of Agreement

Universal law states that our thoughts, feelings and emotions create our experiences.  We actually live from the inside out in this fantastic attractive universe.  Therefore, what we concentrate or focus on will attract more of the same. As the old sayings go, “what we think about we bring about” and “what you resist, persists”.
Detachment is critical if you want a situation to change.  I think detachment and faith are synonymous. Detachment is when you are simply at your wits end trying to solve a problem that perceivably has you beaten and you let go and give it over to God or the Universe. When you can no longer carry the burden and give it up is when things can happen. Energy can shift because it has room to move.  Detachment, neutrality, defenselessness and non resistance, are all powerful means for taking your hands off and allowing.  
The concept of agreement adds a different element by intentionally finding something good in the problem and focusing on that. Chopra says that every problem contains the seed of opportunity for some greater benefit.  Things shift quickly when you choose to find something positive.  
Agreement actually empowers detachment.  When you are focusing on finding a benefit in a problem you are detached from the negativity of it.  When you are no longer resisting it you will see it begin to shift.  You aren’t changing the person or situation involved in the problem you are changing your perception.  Focusing on something good expands the good.  Focusing on the problem expands the problem.   
I have lived in Las Vegas for almost two years and for most of that time I struggled with living here.  I missed my Denver house and my big yard with grass and flowers.  I missed my friends and family and my spiritual community.  I found my self saying often that I left everything I had known and came to nothing.  I started over completely in September of 2008.  
I stopped wallowing in this sad story when I remembered the reason I moved to Las Vegas. My husband was transferred here by his employer.  My husband who is the greatest supporter of everything I do, who has provided the opportunity for me to do all the things that I write about in this newsletter.  He is the brilliant bright spot.  Had I stayed in Denver none of this would have happened.  This move was the opportunity to reinvent myself.
I had another revelation a few months ago in the spring when I was really missing my yard and flowers.  I got an email from my tenants saying that they loved living in my house and wanted to sign another 2 year lease when the current one ends this fall. This was good news but I burst into tears.  Apparently I was holding out hope that we might be back in Denver by that time even though there was nothing to indicate that we would.
This was an epiphany. It absolutely brought home to me the truth of the statement “until you leave your story behind you cannot move past it.”  I knew then that I couldn’t live anywhere else until I decided to live here.
I became proactive and things started to change.  We decided to do something about the yard instead of complain. We bought flowers and pots that added life and color to the back yard and I felt a lot better.  I found a wellness spa and rented a space to see clients.  I obtained my business licenses to do energetic healing and teach classes.  I started meeting wonderful clients.  I was introduced to a great women’s networking group.  I met new, dear friends and more. All of a sudden Las Vegas wasn’t so bad. Our businesses and our spirits grew almost as fast as the plants in our back yard.
The power of agreement created an oasis in the desert.

Namaste’

"This being human is a guest house, Every morning a new arrival"    
   Rumi, from "The Guest House"
 Our homes are special to us, not just a roof overhead.  When the word "home" is mentioned it conjures up a host of thoughts, emotions, and memories, good or bad.  I grew up in the country in a home that was very modest and exceptionally clean and well maintained. 
Until I was almost ten years old, my family consisted of my dad, mother, and two sisters, and then my youngest sister was born.   I didn't realize it at the time but we, along with the rest of the neighbors, were a low income family.  There was no central heating, just wood and coal stoves, and no indoor plumbing.  While we were growing up, there were rules, mostly unspoken, but chores were assigned and completed daily as an expectation.  There were no threats, begging, etc. from our parents, we knew what to do and did it.   My dad had a job and went to work every day and my mother was a "housewife" with all that that entailed.  Both worked hard and set an example for us.  We also took care of what possessions we had, because they were hard to come by and may not be replaced.  Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without could have been our words to live by.  I think about that home life with mixed feeling, but with some affection.
Subsequent places that I have live as an adult, and my home now are reflections of that upbringing.  I am extremely fortunate to own my home, and take care of the house and its contents and surroundings.  In my encounters with the outside world, I see people who are completely homeless, and live on the streets.  There are those who find it necessary to "bunk" with other family members.  When their welcome wears out, they move on to the next relative or friend.  There are homeless shelters that offer temporary lodging that may work for some for awhile.  A few may move into a place of their own and others may be back on the streets.  It is difficult to imagine this type of existence.
There are people who have jobs and other income and are able to rent a home.  For many of my younger adult years I was in this category.  I never thought of these places as other than a home.
 "You rent this home?  she asked amazed.  The place looks so contented
"The home is mine, I proudly said.  It's just the house that's rented"      (author unknown)
 There are now many houses in my neighborhood that are rentals.  When I moved into my house over thirty years ago, the composition of the neighborhood was cottages and ranch type structures, where older adults and children lived.  For the most part people tended to keep to themselves and, if their yards and families weren’t perfect, they were contained, not spilling into the street or the neighbor's yards.
In the past ten years or so all this has changed.  The small houses have been razed and replaced by unattractive multifamily buildings that are rentals.  There is no pride in the upkeep and there are no boundaries by those inhabitants or their refuse.  There is continuous turnover and the amazing thing is that the replacement tenants are clones of the departing ones.  There is just a handful of the original folks and they are mostly elderly.  Two homes in my block that formerly housed older residents have been abandoned.  I had assumed they were the owners, but they are just gone.  I wonder where they went and why.
It is sad to see such a decline.  It was never an affluent community, but there was some care taken and a different energy.  I have maintained my property through the years, but it is becoming a little difficult as I get older.  While I am not ready for an "Old folks home" maybe a quieter area is on the horizon.  Basically, I know that, as Jon Kabat Zinn says, "Wherever you go, there you are."
So it is necessary to draw upon my own resources to establish peace of mind while contending with the outside world.  Inner peace is inner fortitude and balance with which we approach the world.  I KNOW this, but need a reminder when the music from across the street vibrates my windows, or the dog next door is neglected and howls all night.
Article by Judy Struna

As you can see from the previous article July was a crazy, busy and wonderful month.  Things are back to normal now so we will be back to posting articles on a regular basis. 

Namaste'
Kelly 

"Eternity is in love with the productions of time"     William Blake

This summer has held for me and my family a series of important (not to say life altering) occurrences.  My youngest grandson, Sam, graduated from high school in June and will be off to college in August.  There is an apparent change in him.  He is so happy.  Getting on with his life, flying from the nest, he is on his way to becoming a grown-up.  In that same month, my niece gave birth to a baby boy, also named Sam--so now we have a big Sam and a little Sam.   Little Sam is the first grandchild for both sides of his family and they are all thrilled.  My mother's 96th birthday was on July 1 and the family celebrated with her.  So here we are on the other end of the spectrum.  There is a new born baby and his great-grandmother in the waning years of her life.  In July, my other grandson, Jared (who, by the way, is the son of Kelly Whetstone) married Kristin in a beautiful out-door setting.  After a great deal of planning and work, etc., the ceremony and celebrations were beautiful and memorable.  The happy twosome are now honeymooning in Costa Rica.
In preparation for, and during these gatherings, there were grumblings, disagreements, anguish even.  Thomas Moore in "Care of the Soul" comments about the family.  "Nothing is more suitable for care of the soul than family, because the experience of family includes so much of the particulars of life.  In a family you live (and are) close to people that otherwise you might not even want to talk to." 
Participating in all of the events was a joyous experience for me, but at times I became caught up in the drama and chaos and lost my sense of inner peace. When I became aware of this, I took deep breaths.  Focusing on breathing allowed me to become centered in spirit.  I did this numerous times over the weeks.  Family dynamics and interaction with others takes finesse.  Since families are composed of "humans" none are are perfect.  At some time in our lives, we must reach a point of accepting people for what they are and stop contending with their character defects.
Being a part of major happenings, which, by their very nature, include"multitudes," gives one an opportunity to observe--to be aware of the actions of others.  These can be revelations.  Selfless, demanding acts are performed.  A shy guy may show a zany side of his character. Many happy surprises are evident, IF we have our antennae out.  Thinking back over the past celebrations, there were many such moments, and they make me smile.  As all the major characters in these landmark events pass to new phases of life, we all wish them the best of everything.
"See the former things have come to pass and new things I declare."   Isaiah   42:9

 Article by Judy Struna