In Awe of It All: Stories and Inspirations from a Spiritual Journey through Eight Decades of Life on This Earth

By Sherry Dee Lady

One cannot make it through eight decades of life without having learned at least one important thing.

One thing I have learned is that I love writing. Though I had the desire to compose with words from an early age, it wasn't until the last eleven years that I found the time to begin to put thought and words into some kind of form. I had written plays, lyrics to songs, and tons of letters, but more philosophical things sat unwritten in the deeper recesses of my mind.

Then one day I was asked to write something of spiritual encouragement for a monthly church bulletin. That step began the formation of thoughts, feelings, inspirations, and stories from life experiences and energized the bringing forth of all that I had held inside over the years. Adding to that were inspirations from friends, their stories, and a heart opening that allowed me to view all of life at more depth. I have continued those essays and will do so as long as life allows.

People have asked me for copies of the essays and have encouraged me to put them between the covers of a book. This has helped me stepped out of my usual routine and into gathering the writings, organizing them, adding my daughter's photography, and, along with my son's support, to share it all in what I have titled In Awe of it All, which I truly am. I hope-somewhere along the reader's path-some of what I share will be meaningful and bring perhaps new perspectives as well as add a smile to their day. That would bring me great joy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Proisle Publishing Services
• Release date: May 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9781960224828

Book preview

FRIENDSHIP

While watching an old-fashioned VHS tape the other day that showed clips from past TV sitcoms, a song from one of the shows got stuck in my mind and is still sitting there replaying itself over and over. That might have happened to some of you somewhere along the way as well. The song was from the sitcom Laverne and Shirley and the words are stuck in my brain are:

Friendship, friendship, such a perfect blend-ship. When other friendships have been forgotten, ours will still be hot.

The word hot did not mean then what it means today. Back then it meant really warm, cozy, special, alive, etc. In some instances it could possibly have meant a hot romance, but since this was describing a special friendship between two roommates who were sharing life, work, and adventures in interacting with the world, it meant the other warm, sharing kind. It reminded me of my first year of teaching when I lived with a college friend here in Eugene. While we taught at different schools, it was a year of sharing not only living space and some outside activities but also preparations for upcoming weddings for each of us the following summer. The friendship required blending of different personalities and lives, and that experience has meant so much through the years at many different times.

The word that appeals to me is blend-ship. I think about the many friends I have made through the years and while good connections, not all were of a closer connection that I would describe as a perfect blend-ship, though some were. My closest friend from high school days passed away a few months ago and I really miss staying in touch with her. We lived miles apart, but there is a saying that relates to our connection: True friends are never apart. Maybe in distance, but not in the heart. To me that describes a blend-ship.

These days of separation through pandemic isolation and quarantine, have altered the ways we interact with friends and that has been very difficult for many of us. While some connections have faded to a degree, others have become highlighted and brought closer and affirmed our place in this life together. On the days when I feel sort of at loose ends, down and out, or even confused, it has been a blessing to have been able to stay connected in various ways with those who have been willing to stay close in heart with me. The blessing of a special supportive, willingly interactive, and trusted friend has brought a silver lining to any clouds of doubt or hopelessness I have felt and that often fills the spaces left by others. My prayer for you is that you have at least one special friend in your life and enough others that have been willing to stay close in heart with you, as well. If not, then be courageous and reach out and find someone who would probably love to hear from you. It often takes just one special friend to bring the glorious sunshine of life back into being for each other.

Along the way, we can also know that we have an expert, experienced, and willing silver-cloud liner in the Holy Spirit of Love and Life that created us, that wants to be there for us, cares about us, that asks to be called upon and graciously listens while affirming us and providing for our needs. We can find that Spirit sand let it breathe life into us through our daily prayers, meditations, quiet times, and yes, even in our time of begging and beseeching, and calling for relief—what has often been referred to as on our knees both physically and in the heart. Our present very special spiritual community continues to offer guidance for connection and finding peace within. No distance, never apart, and always in the heart.

As I conclude this essay I hear the rapid footsteps of the adorable squirrel that like to scamper across the beams of my deck fence. I hear the thump of the large black bird as it lands on my float roof and begins to peck noisily away at something up there that I have yet to determine its identity. I toss out various seeds for them, but not up that high. I also hear the bark of a dog and see my neighbor taking hers for a walk. Now I want to hear the laughter of the children next door out in their yard, but it is still too cold for that. So, in longing for some kind of connection, I will put on my comfy Nikes, get into my car, and with the blue sky and sun to accompany me, I will head for my beloved park where the trees are shedding their leaves very rapidly, people are either walking or jogging, children sometimes playing, and where, if a tear needs to fall, it can be dried quickly by an autumn breeze. I am so grateful for this park and all it continues to offer me spiritually. I am very happy there and after a visit, peace is once more restored to my life.

Oh my, how grateful am I for this life, for all of my friends, for this day. May you know that feeling, too.

In my often unseen and virus-distanced way, I am here for and with you. May we have a continued perfect blend-ship.

Love,

Sherry

HOW TO BE

A SUPER STAR

A spectacular and rare Christmas Star is coming. If you managed to see the crescent Moon pass Jupiter and Saturn this week, you will have noticed something else. They are now really, really close to each other, and on December 21, the date of the December Solstice, they are going to almost appear to collide to become one super bright point of light. They will look like a double planet for the first time since the year 1226. Close to 800 years ago. Some say that such a star happens about every 800 years. If you calculate 800 years before 1226 that would put the star appearing around 426 A.D.

In reality, Jupiter and Saturn will be millions of miles apart, not close at all by our measurements, but celestially it will be close enough to look like one bright star. I find that rather exciting and phenomenal in its own way because alignments between those two planets are so rare. It is thought by some astronomers that the star of Bethlehem was a rare triple conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn and Venus. I am hoping for clear skies so I can see that star and let it teach me what is has, and wants to teach me, which I believe is significant on the spiritual level if we open to it.

Jesus was reported to have said, You are the Light of the world and then told us to not hide our Light under a bushel, but to let it shine for others. Let it shine not just to light a pathway or a dark corner, but to illuminate the world around us. And so we pray, meditate, affirm that God/Spirit lives within us, practice the principles as we know them, learn about loving our neighbor as best we can, etc. and then we walk into a world filled with chaos, viruses, division, confusion, and disparity and the light we hold in the sky of our daily lives without and within, begins to dim in spite of our efforts to keep it going. It’s not bad—it’s just something that happens sometimes.

Then in the midst of it all, comes Christmas. Christmas in a COVID lock-down that finds us scattered from all we knew the season to be a time when we joined our lights with others in celebration of the birth of the new kind of Love brought down through the ages. The light can potentially begin to fade—until we remember what is still within our reach. EACH OTHER!

It took two planets and on one occasion a rare three planets coming together to create a light called a Star, shining brightly in the heavens. We can create our own Christmas star and fill our life heavens, inner and outer, with so much light that this time in the history of our world and our lives, will be talked about for centuries down the line at the time when humankind, and all life forms, will lift their hearts, minds, and spirits to new heights of magnificence because they believed in, cared for, gave love to, and created a miracle on earth like never before seen.

It only takes a phone call, a text message, a card in the mail, a virtual hug…any acknowledgment of another’s presence in our lives to keep the brightness going like an eternal flame, making our personal and collective heavens lit up like the sky of long ago, and maybe even brighter.

What one planet could not do alone, two or three accomplished by allowing the laws of the universe to flow naturally. These laws govern us as well and the star of our being is there to guide us if we allow it.

Become the SUPER STAR that you are. Reach out and glow with heavenly light as you take the hand of someone—anyone—who comes to your mind or into your daily experience. Glory on the highest!! Peace on earth.

Love

Sherry

A WALK IN THE WOODS

Like many of you, once I fully realized that I was, indeed, going to be spending most of my daysindoorsIstarted paying attention to some of the things I have put off for a long time. One of them was going through bookshelves, thinking I would have the courage to release some of them and create more space for—probably more books as is my passion. Do any of you have this tendency to collect books? More than could be possibly read in a lifetime?

During the process, I came across one of my favorite books…A Walk In the Woods: Meditations on Mindfulness with a Bear Named Pooh by Dr. Joseph Parent and Nancy Parent. Upon randomly opening to whatever place wanted to be noticed, I came across these words that I am delighted to share with you:

"As he stepped outside, Pooh felt the soft moist moss under his feet. He smelled the rich sweetness of the honeysuckle (his favorite flower of course) on the climbing vines curling around the tree…He heard the birds singing and the wind whistling (Or were the birds whistling and the wind singing?)… Here were the trees, bushes, hills, dales, creeks, and ponds that made up the Hundred Acre Wood.

Now it was time for his daily exercises (said, Pooh). Pooh raised his chubby little arms high in the air, or at least as high as they would go. He could feel the pull along his arms and shoulders and sides. Then he bent over to touch his toes—or at least as far as he could reach down to them. He could feel the stretch in the back of his legs.

He did this movement exactly seven times—not six, nor eight, Then he walked slowly and mindfully to the big log in front of his house, his Not-Thinking Spot…He sat up straight so he could take nice, full breaths, drew air into his nose…then breathed out. The rhythm of his breath—filling and emptying—lulled him into a comfortable calm.

As he rested there, deeply grounded and firmly centered in his Not-Thinking-Spot, Pooh felt at peace.

After appreciating his environment, doing exercises, and practicing mindfulness of breathing, Pooh knew that his body and mind were as ready as they could be for whatever the day might bring."

It goes on to say that after Pooh did this work, he then went on to his practicing kindness routine. He did this by gathering his warm thoughts and sending them out into the world, as well as carrying them with him in case he met someone on his walks that he wanted to share them with while affirming: Today I’ll be the Best Friend I can be, to everyone I see, including me.

Some wonderful, gentle, reminders for putting into and filling our strange days. These are from a fictional character—though he is very much alive to me since I adore and collect teddy bears. Yes, I even have a large teddy bear on the front seat of my car. His name is Spencer and he is there, not just in place of a missing friend, but as an object of communication and comfort for me. He does have to sit in the back if someone gets in my car unless they are willing to hold him.

Back to Pooh—and our lives today. What can I say? Except that this is not an easy time for me—nor for you. Pooh, and I offer this well-known saying:

"The Past is History, the Future’s a

Mystery Being Here and Now is a Precious Gift,

That’s why we call it The Present."

ENJOY THE JOURNEY

A couple of amusing quotes have been drifting around on the internet and Facebook lately and they have brought me to a halt in the middle of very busy days more than once. The halting has been a good thing for me in those busy moments because they slowed me down long enough to get a good chuckle and pass them on to friends to hopefully lighten their day as well.

I want to share a couple of the quotes with you and though you may be familiar with them, maybe they will still provide more thoughts and a chuckle or two.

First saying: Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, and shouting ‘Holy cow—what a ride. The idea of being totally worn out does not appeal to me, because I seem to reach that stage a little more easily now and I want to preserve enough energy to do some of the fun things that are still available to me while I still have the energy. (I wouldn’t mind having the naturally well-preserved body to finish the ride with, however).

The theme of that sentence is one that appeals to me though. There are so many wonderful things available to us that can enhance and supplement the daily routines of our lives, yet so often they get put on the back burner and when we try to bring them to the front burner, we can’t, as one sweet friend shared with me even find the stove we set them on because we gave it away a long time ago and forgot to keep the pot of dreams accessible. Or as another friend shared I sometimes feel like I am on a fast-moving train and out the window I can see things I’ve always wanted to see and do being passed by, or being done by others, while I just sit here and wonder what went wrong? Why aren’t I doing some of those things? So what is keeping us from sliding into the next experience, a bit breathless, and shouting to the world that it was truly an amazing ride? I’ll let you think about that for a while. There’s still time to change that if you want to.

Second saying: When I get older and my hair turns gray, I don’t want people to say There goes a sweet old lady’. I want them to say What the heck is she up to now? My daughter said she has been telling her friends through the years all the things I was up to and they were always amazed. Really? I liked her saying that, because sometimes I think I’ve left so much undone and not yet experienced—so I put that quote above my computer to remind me. There are so many things yet to be up to. I guess some people call it a bucket list, but buckets, to me, have limits as to how much one can put into them. So I write things I’d like to do on sticky notes, put them into a notebook and when I’ve done them I write a note about the experience. All will go into my not a best seller autobiography that I will leave for my grandchildren. If something becomes impossible to do—like I have to give up the thought of climbing up a mountain in Tibet now—I can just remove the sticky note, bless it, and know I have had mountain-top experiences in other ways, and some just recently, which have brought so much happiness into my life.

So if you want to, go ahead and be sweet older ladies, or gentle older men, and know You will be loved and admired by me no matter what; but, don’t forget to also make the most of every second you have left in this lifetime and let yourself be blessed by the courage to step out anew each day to find enjoyment along the way. Then you and I can slide into the next life safely, but with a big smile on our faces, knowing it was indeed, a wonderful ride!

A silly poem I wrote for you, at the beach, on a sunny day not too long ago.

Higgles and sniggles and riffles go all the way up to my nose.

While giggles, and wiggles and piggles go all the way down to my toes.

And—happles, and snapples and rapples extend beyond ear tops and lobes.

I can’t help but feeling emotals, Upon this biggelty day,

For sunnies and bunnies and funnies Have tickled me into praise,

For the waffles and toffles and loffles of life That embrace me in powerful ways…

May laffies, and sweetlies, and nothing but joytles

Be present in each of your heart-iest days.

A LESSON WELL LEARNED

I learned an important life lesson when I was 8 or 9 —the actual age eludes me, probably because this isn’t about my being young, old, or somewhere in between. It’s about a lesson not unlike most learning experiences which we set aside until something really big comes along to remind us that we have something in our consciousness that was planted long ago in case we needed to use it.

Anyway, back then I was given a packet of seeds from an elderly neighbor whose rather shamble-like, all-wooden, shake-sided house bordered our farm. He told me that there were three kinds of seeds in the packet, but he was not going to tell me what they were. I was to plant them in 10-inch pots and wait until they grew and bloomed and then see how they turned out. He said I was to water them daily and keep them in full sunlight until their flowers appeared.

I did as he said, until the day when their flowers appeared. Two beautiful red flowers appeared on one stem, five yellow ones on another, but the third just showed rather unattractive, gray-green leaves on a somewhat prickly stalk. I was not impressed with that one at all, but I took care of it anyway. On one of the days when the neighbor came to check his experiment as he called it, I complained about the not-so-pretty plant. I said I did not really want to keep that one anymore because there were no flowers on it. He told me I would just have to wait a bit longer so the experiment could be completed. So for another 10 days or so, I looked at it only on occasion and I watered it a bit less than the others sort of hoping it would give up so I could use the pot for another plant.

Then one morning, having decided to set the barren plant in a separate place