I'm Working For A Giving

Note: This was written by a guest writer, Juanita Mazzarella. She is a wonderful friend, a mentor and someone who when you are around her, your heart just wants to sing and smile with joy. What she wrote here and shared with me was so beautiful, elegant and powerful that I asked for her permission to share this.

"I'M NOT WORKING FOR A LIVING...
I'M WORKING FOR A GIVING."

I realized a little while back in 1993, that I had become retired from my previous occupation as a graphic designer...and was given a new vocation as an instrument for God's love and wellbeing. This was the "side effect" of letting go of a job, a marriage, and a life which was not working according to my plan. I needed a new plan.

When I surrendered it all and asked for help...help is what I then received. Help from God. Sixteen years later, life is healthy, happy, strong and free...not because of what I did, but because of what God did through me. I was given a new life.

And today, I am living that life. The old one is long over and the plug pulled on it completely. I am living in ways I never thought possible. "I am LIVING THE GIVING LIFE." Life is simple and abundant and so is the work I have been given to do. It has taken a lot of inner work and commitment to living a new way...hand in hand with God/Source. (Whatever name you wish to call it.)

This is not the way I was raised to live, but I always KNEW in my heart there was another better way. Digging deeply, I found that filling myself up to overflowing with spiritual knowledge...prayer...meditation...and keeping a loving heart was the new way for me to live.

From this place, my cup ran over and I had more than enough to share with those around me and it felt great. Life began to look prosperous and very abundant for the first time. I began to trust God and have faith in this new way of living.

I also learned about "The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity." Tithing, Forgiveness, Goal Setting and Divine Purpose. There is a book by the same name by a wonderfully humorous woman named Edwene Gaines. This entire year I have taken PROSPERITY TELECLASSES with Rev. Gloria Ramirez which have been nothing short of extraordinary. Her website is: www.gloriaramirez.com if you wish to learn more.

2009 has been a busy year of learning, growing, giving and receiving. God does not know about a slow economy. There is another system we can follow besides the one with 401K plans, investments and retirement accounts...it is God's system of investing in ourselves so that we become spiritually pure...and GIVING AWAY through our time, treasure, talents and tithes to those around us who help us grow spiritually...giving back to our Source/God.

This will produce a renewed economy and a new thought within us as we move ahead in this new world order of love, well being and prosperous thinking.

May God bless you a million times over.

And so it is.
Amen.

Juanita Mazzarella
Oasis House, Miami, Florida
www.oasishouse1.com

Workshop: Mind-Body Awareness Through Relaxation

Location: Andrew Jackson Davis Building
City: 1112 Stevens Street, Cassadaga, Florida, 32706
When: Sunday, July 19, 2009
Time: 2pm to 4pm
Cost: $20


Note: Please bring Yoga Mat/or Blanket plus a pillow and comfortable clothing
Facilitator: Don Shetterly

This workshop will focus on the Mind-Body Awareness. Through relaxation, movement, breathing, energy flow, the spoken word, music and just connecting the mind and body together as one to bring about a deeper awareness and a more spiritual connection with the universe.

For More information and Registration (click here)

Stepping Into

When I drew this chalk picture, I had no idea what I was about to create. Rarely do I sit down and draw anything because I just don't feel that is my area of expertise. So when I do sit down and draw, it usually takes me by surprise. This is a simple picture but it is jam packed with meaning and significance for my own life.

You see, many times throughout my own life, I've been afraid at what lies ahead. You could even say, I am at one of those moments right now. I am sure that I am not alone as others experience this as well. Often we do not talk about those fears and if we do, many around us quickly tell us to just live for today or go on about our lives and not worry. While there is some good intentions to that, this could short circuit this part of our life and hold us back in many ways. The fears are real, the people are real but the outcomes are what is important.

Often when we face that unknown darkness ahead, we sometimes spend so much time staring at it that we forget what lies behind us. All of the things that we have carried with ourselves up to this point gives us the strength, the courage and the determination to move forward. It is all part of us. It helps us find the footing when we step out into the unknown.

In the picture, the house depicts a sense of security, starting point, origin, and grounding for our lives. It is the safety point from which we emerge. It is the fortress from which we draw strength. It is the beginning point for moving forward. The terrain reminds us of how much we have overcome and how many difficult steps we have already taken. It is the reminder of all that we have accomplished when we begin to doubt ourselves. The tree is for bountiful sustenance and a further anchor to hold on to. It is the strength we see in many ways as we begin to step forward. The birds are there to remind us of the joys we do have in our life and the gratitude for all that we are. Behind the person looking into the unknown is the wind that comes along in our life. It is the people, places, knowledge, self discovery that propels us further. While it seems the wind is only to the person's back, it is helping propel the person and give them strength and energy to keep stepping forward.

Many times we have no clue what each step we take, will bring to our path. We just know where we have traveled from and so as we take a new step, we are reminded of all that there is in our life, to move in the direction we need to go. We have no need to push it or pull it or change it. We just need to take the step forward for taking the individual baby steps forward is what makes the unknown familiar to us.

Breathe and Know

Breathe in the good

Breathe out that which you don't need.

Breathe in the energy, the strength, the sustenance for your life.

Breathe out that which holds you, constricts you and binds you.

Breathe

Breathe

Breathe

Life has so much to offer, not so little.

Life is about so much more, not what it doesn't have.

Life is about possibility, hope and what can be.

Life is you, us, we, them and everyone in between.

Life is all of together connected so intricately.

Breathe

Breathe

Take it all in

and Know that all is, just as it is for this moment.

The Devil

Source: http://www.abraham-hicks.com (Daily Quote)

The "devil" is a fictional character made up (and perpetuated) by insecure humans who want to control other insecure humans. There's a lot of power in fear, isn't there? There shouldn't be, because, really, what fear is, is power-less. If you understood Source, as we do, you would never fashion such fiction because there is only Well-Being that flows from that which is your Source.

Music Connects Us

Music can lift us from our current plane into a world where nothing matters, where no stress can be found and where true peace abounds. The individual notes combined together can transcend our hearts and minds.

We all have a favorite song, CD or band that picks us up when we are down and energizes us. Have you ever stopped to consider this and consider just what the music does for you? How does it take you from your current state and leave you feeling fulfilled, ready to fight whatever it is you need to or just feel empowered?

I firmly believe that music is the way that the innermost parts of our lives and the universe communicate with us. Music speaks where no words are found. Music creates a language where there is a void. Music knows no boundaries put in place by cultures, governments or laws.

For a long time in my life, I have played the piano and created music of all kinds. In recent years, I have focused on letting my innermost soul release the sounds that it holds. Just a few years ago, I would find a piano and sit down and play for hours at a time. I never used sheet music as I did not need it. I would just play whatever came out of my fingers. This music was a combination of notes that had never been heard before. And yet I found, that I did not really hear the music that I was playing until one day I recorded a session. When I listened to what I recorded, I could not believe what I heard. I did not realize just what I was creating.

Up to this point, I’ve not been able to replay anything that I have created. It is like the music I create is a conversation and we all know that you can never repeat a conversation once it has been spoken. You can paraphrase it but there is no way to repeat it. This is why I believe that music which comes from deep within our souls is such a pure form of communication and it goes where words can not form.

I began to share my music with a few trusted friends and saw their reactions. It was at that point that I decided it was time to share my music with the world. The more I have shared the music, the more I have seen the effects of it upon the lives of others. I can see when someone hears it and it affects them in such a deep way. For I know that when someone’s ear tunes into the songs I create, I know that they have connected with the deeper language found deep within the music and they have connected with a much broader source, the Universe.

My music and the music of many others that I know, come from a greater source than we find in ourselves. It is the universe that provides this music and it has the ability to do whatever we need at that moment in our lives. For the universe provides peace, healing and power to everyone and one of the ways it does this is through the music that it provides. I’ve seen how my music reflects the times I am in and how it has changed as I changed. Each song I create gets a title so as to keep it separate from the next song and reference it to what actually was taking place in my thoughts while it was created.

So as you go about your day, stop for a minute and think about the music you listen to. What is it trying to tell you? What is it connecting you to? What is your mind and body needing at this very minute. Remember we are all connected to something greater than ourselves and that connection is kept together by a force called music.

If you haven't had a chance to hear my music, you can check out the link to the left "Relaxing Spa Music" on Amazon
or you can listen to it as well on iTunes and Spotify.

© Don Shetterly 11/9/05

Connected To Source

There are many people that will tell you that when connected to source, things happen quickly, easily and come together in ways that no one can imagine. If you want to understand what "Source" means, check any of Dr. Wayne Dyer's works such as The Power of Intention. Source is not about religion, it is about the source energy living within ourselves.

So anyway, back to the story.

I was given an idea for a project by someone I know. It always amazes me just where some of these ideas originate and how I come to be acquainted with them. Sometimes they are like this particular method and sometimes they are just thoughts that float into my mind almost as if they are being whispered into my ear by an angel. This idea sounded good but at first I thought, this is going to take a lot of work, a lot of time and then the detailed questions of how to make everything happen filled my mind. I knew though that if I took each thing a step at a time, it would all come through.

So as I'm out walking in the park a couple of weeks ago, I was taking pictures and one of the pictures I took hit me like a ton of bricks. As I focused on it with my camera, I thought this could be a CD cover. At the time, I had not totally put it together with the project that I was working on. The two thoughts had not completely connected.

So then I sat down at my keyboard to do the recording part of this project. Usually in the past, this part of the process takes considerable time. Not only do I need to create the actual music, then play it so that it sounds right and record it so that it comes out correctly as a digital file. A process that one little mess up sometimes yields the work useless for a finished piece. This particular project though came together the quickest that I have ever seen and without too much difficulty. It wasn't completely ease free but not like some projects where you struggle to get the right sound. It just all flowed together easily and nicely.

Once this was done, I was sitting there wondering what type of artwork I was going to use and then the picture of the park popped into my mind. The songs came around and formed the right image. But as part of the artwork, I needed a special graphic which I had no idea what I was going to use. Within about 5 minutes of searching on google, I had found the right image, purchased it and was able to get it into my graphic artwork I was creating. That's no easy feat for me either as my expertise in using graphic art software is limited.

The complete package came together in a very cohesive way and I was beginning to see that maybe this project had some outside help and assistance. The next step involved uploading it to the digital sites which again can go easily and painfree or it can be excruciating and a long drawn out process. This time, it was up on all the digital sites within about 8 days. That's just unheard of.

And so I can't help but think the "idea" of this came from a connected source and was perfect for me in this moment. Of course if I would have just heard it and done nothing, than nothing would have happened. However for something to happen, I had to act up on it. Where the project will go or the results I will get from this project, I do not know at this time. I'm anxious to see what happens!

Once again, I'm reminded that if we stay connected to source, than all we need and all we desire is there at our fingertips. We need not look any place else because we will not find it any other place.